MT. SANJOGATAKE, Japan, May 1 (UPI) -- A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in Japan has been challenged by some who claim it reinforces gender discrimination.
Kiisanchi no Reijo to Sankeimichi -- Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range and Surrounding Cultural Landscapes -- has been proposed by as a heritage site.
The site has been sacred for Shinto and its nature worship, for Buddhism, and for Shukendo, a religion that evolved from both Shinto and Buddhism.
However, a sign next to one of the four main gates to Ominesanji Temple explains women are not allowed to enter, the Japan Times reported.
Karalyn Schenk of UNESCO's Paris office said UNESCO does not require all sites have unrestricted access.
"Some sites have limited access for spiritual reasons, which are often important to the universal value of the site," she said in an e-mail.
