This July the sacred island of Okinoshima and related sites in the Munakata Region were added to the World Cultural Heritage List. Wrapped in mystery, the area covered includes Okinoshima, located in the Genkainada Sea 60 kilometers off the coast of Fukuoka Prefecture, along with eight related sites in the Munakata region. National rituals to pray for the safety of ships sailing to the Korean peninsula or to mainland China were conducted in Okitsumiya, Munakata Taisha and other sites in the fourth to ninth centuries. The whole island is considered to be sacred ground, and only Shinto priests can set foot there. Up until now women have been banned from setting foot on its shores and only 200 men could be admitted once a year. In addition, they have to remove all of their clothes and clean their bodies in the sea before setting foot on the island. Furthermore, visitors are not allowed to take photos, nor discuss what they have seen on the island, nor remove even one stone. Because of these strict restrictions, its nature remains unspoilt and academic investigations have uncovered 80,000 offerings, all of which have been designated as national treasures. Among these were gold rings and Persian cut glass containers. Because of this, the island is also said to be “The terminal of the Silk Road.” Three goddesses were included in this trove, so following the area’s registration as a world heritage site, some were critical of the prohibition against women setting foot on the land. Munakata Taisha, the Shinto sect that manages the island, announced that rather than allowing women to set foot on the land, from next year on they would not allow men to disembark once a year.