Munakata — UNESCO World Heritage Shrines

Munakata sits midway between Hakata and Kitakyushu on the Genkai Sea coast. The Munakata Taisha shrine complex was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 2017 — three shrines (Hetsumiya on the mainland, Nakatsumiya on Oshima island, Okitsumiya on Okinoshima) that protected ancient trade routes between Japan and the continent.