The island of Okinoshima, Japan, is considered a sacred land and is prohibited for women.
The Island Okinoshima, in Japan, is considered a sacred land and is forbidden to women. Inside there is a Shinto shrine and a kami, one of the Shinto deities.
The reason for the ban on women is linked precisely to the Shinto religion. There are several theories that explain why women cannot set foot on this small strip of land in the middle of the sea, halfway between Japan and South Korea.
The most accredited hypothesis is the one that refers to the menstrual cycle: according to the Shintoists, a woman who menstruates is unclean and their entry to the island would contaminate the entire sacred place.
Even the men who arrive on the island must follow a purification ritual, completely undressing.
Okinoshima's population matters a single inhabitant- This is the temple employee who is tasked with looking after it and enforcing the island's rules.
laUnesco The possibility of including the island on the list of sites considered world heritage sites is being evaluated. The request has been pending since 2009. Here, in fact, are numerous historical objects of great value, left by sailors who, throughout the centuries, have disembarked in search of refreshment, offering the divinity an object in exchange for a safe return trip.
