Off-Limits World Heritage Site: Japan’s Mysterious Island “Okinoshima” to Ban Visitors Next Year

World Heritage Sites are breathtaking, but not all of them can be experienced in person. Okinoshima, a small island off the coast of Fukuoka in Kyushu, Japan, with an area of less than 100 hectares, was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site last week. However, although the island has been open to visitors during specific festivals in the past, it will ban all visitors starting next year to prevent external damage. Only shrine personnel and academic researchers will be allowed access.

Japan’s sacred site “Okinoshima,” located in the Genkai Sea off the coast of Kyushu, has long upheld the tradition that only men may set foot on the island, preserving a strong religious atmosphere. The island is open to just 200 visitors for one day each year during the May festival, allowing them to participate in a two-hour annual celebration. Moreover, strict rules apply to those who visit—for example, they must purify themselves by bathing naked in the sea and are prohibited from disclosing any details about the island after leaving.

Last week, Okinoshima and eight other historical sites were collectively inscribed as a World Heritage property, including the main island of Okinoshima, three nearby islets, the Munakata Taisha shrine complex, and the Sannohara-Futagoyama ancient tomb cluster. According to Japanese media reports, Okinoshima recently announced that it will cancel visitor slots for the annual festival next year to better protect the island’s resources and avoid the potential burden of damage caused by 200 visitors. In the future, only shrine-related personnel and academic researchers will be permitted to step foot on this World Heritage island.