Tokyo (AFP) - Visitors will not be allowed to set foot on a men-only UNESCO World Heritage island in Japan from next year, an official said Saturday. The tiny landmass of Okinoshima, where women are banned and male visitors must bathe naked in the sea before visiting its shrine, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site last week. "A strict preservation is required now that the island has got the UNESCO listing," he said. "It will be risky if 200 visitors continue to come to the island," he said, adding that Okinoshima is "the island protected by Shinto priests". However, academics will be allowed to land on the island for research and preservation purposes, he added.

Source: The Star July 15, 2017 08:26 UTC