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Follow the lane running north beside Jochi-ji and you'll find some steps which mark the start of the Daibutsu Hiking Course . This meandering ridge-path (2.2km) makes an enjoyable approach to Hase's Great Buddha , but in any case it's well worth taking a diversion as far as the captivating cave-shrine dedicated to the goddess Zeniarai Benten (Money-Washing Benten). From Jochi-ji, follow signs for Genjiyama-koen along a trail heading southeast through the park to a road junction, where the main trail turns right. Instead, take the steps straight ahead and duck under the shrine's tunnel-entrance to emerge in a natural amphitheatre filled with a forest of torii wreathed in incense and candle-smoke. Despite its being so hidden, a constant stream of hopeful punters come to test the goddess's powers. According to tradition, money washed in the spring, gushing out of a cave on the opposite side from entrance, is guaranteed to double at the very least, though not immediately. It's worth a shot - your notes won't dissolve, but let the money dry naturally, to retain the beneficial effects. If you're following the hiking trail to Hase , rather than retracing your steps, take the path heading south under a tunnel of tightly packed torii , zigzagging down to the valley bottom, then turn right at a T-junction to find another avenue of vermilion torii leading deep into the cryptomeria forest. At the end lies a simple shrine, Sasuke Inari , dating from before the twelfth century, which is dedicated to the god of harvests. His messenger is the fox; as you head up the steep path behind, climbing over tangled roots, you'll find fox statues of all shapes and sizes peering out of the surrounding gloom. At the top, turn right and then left at a white sign board to pick up the hiking course for the final kilometre to the Daibutsu.
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