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is an island, part of the city of
Munakata, Fukuokais a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, in the north Chikuzen region of the prefecture.As of April 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 94,660 and the density of 791 persons per km 2...
,
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is considered sacred land by the local Munakata Taisha. The island's population consists of a single employee of the shrine. The entire island is considered a
shintoor Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
kamiis the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
, and the island is off limits to women. A movement exists to get the island accepted as a
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. On May 1, 2009 a petition was formally submitted.