No women allowed: Japan's Okinoshima island becomes UNESCO site
The island which is only open to male visitors recently gained the status of a World Heritage site
(Web Desk)- Japan’s male-only Okinoshima island recently gained the status of a world heritage site.
According to BBC News the island has been declared a World Heritage cultural site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
Okinoshima is an important part of Japan’s history.The island was first used for rituals in which prayers were offered for the safety and wellbeing of ships. During that time, it was also used as a point for building trade ties with Korean and Chinese people
The Okitsu shrine is an important site on the island. Photo courtesy: AFP
Later on in the 17th century the Okitsu shrine was build upon the island to pray for the safety of sailors. Due to its rich history thousands of old artifacts have been found upon the island, including artifacts from far off places such as gold rings from the Korean Peninsula.
The island is also known for its curious rituals and for a having a specific number of visitors. A cleansing ritual in which clothes are removed is required by all men who visit the island and when the visitors leave they are not allowed to disclose any specifics of their visit or take away any sort of souvenirs. The ablution rites are performed at sea.
Additionally, unlike most historical sites that welcome tourists all year around, Okinoshima is only opened to the general public on the 27th of May of each year. Moreover, the number of people allowed is highly restricted with only 200 visitors allowed on the island so if you have the bad luck of missing your turn you have to wait till next year to visit again.
Japan is home to numerous World Heritage sites which have allowed it to become a major tourist destination with the JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) estimating that the country attracted 24.03 million international tourists in 2016.
