Japan is set to nominate Okinoshima, a remote Fukuoka Prefecture island some consider to be sacred, for 2017 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage listing. Also included in the bid will be a cluster of related sites in the area.
The island is seldom visited, not least because the Shinto shrine that controls it refuses access to women. There are varying explanations for the ban, but some say it is because menstruation would defile the site.
Local residents have mixed feelings about the bid. UNESCO recognition would increase global awareness of the areas' historical significance — threatening their existence as isolated sanctuaries.