Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Okinoshima: Japan's UNESCO World Heritage Site that's banned to women
To be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list is a great honor for those who inhabit the site. But there aren’t any residents in this newly listed world heritage site in Japan.
The sacred island of Okinoshima lies at 77km off the coast of Fukuoka, Japan. It is one of the newly designated World Heritage Sites with historical significance. It is privately owned by Munakata Taisha, a large Shinto shrine in Fukuoka, and is prohibited for visitors on any day but May 27th every year when they hold a grand festival. It’s too early to mark your calendar because only 200 men, no women, are allowed to land this mysterious island in order to maintain their purity
Though it is unclear why women are banned from visiting this island, the tradition has been kept since the fourth century. Even for lucky men who get permissions to visit the island, they must bathe in the sea naked to purify their body and soul before landing.
Enjoy reading and thinking what pure means to you.
If you are interested in this mysterious island, visit the website below;
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