There are a lot of things about a small Japanese island that makes it unique. But it's what the island doesn't have that could be the most remarkable thing about it: women. Okinoshima, an island steeped in Shinto religious tradition, takes ancient taboos seriously, including the controversial one that bans women from stepping foot on it, according to global media.
Even men have to tread carefully on the island, by stripping naked and undergoing a purification ritual before arriving.
They can't take any souvenirs from the island with them when they leave - not even a blade of grass - and must never disclose details of their trip.
The whole island is considered sacred ground. Its population consists of priests who work at Okinoshima's shrine, which is part of the larger, Munakata Grand Shrine.
It is the priests who enforce the ban on women, although there isn't much known about why the ban exists.
"There are varying explanations for the ban, but some say it is because menstruation would defile the site," Ryo Hashimoto wrote in the Japan Times.
"Shinto treats blood as an impurity."
Another reason may be that because sea journeys to the island were considered dangerous, women were banned from travelling there to protect them, as bearers of children.
Okinoshima sat along important trade routes between Japan and the Korean Peninsula between the fourth and ninth centuries.
Seafarers seeking protection from the gods would stop at the island to pray and make offerings, including beads, mirrors and swords.
Over the centuries Okinoshima amassed about 80,000 of these precious trinkets, which are considered national treasures.
And these treasures may be part of why Okinoshima has attracted the attention of UNESCO, which will consider granting the island World Heritage status in July.
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Source: The Financial Express