Hoshizuna-no-Hama,Giappone
Hoshizuna-no-Hama, which translates to mean "Sand in the Shape of a Star" is a beautiful beach
located on an island in the prefecture of Okinawa, Japan. The special feature of this beach oasis
surrounded by crystal clear waters are the small five and six-point stars hidden beneath the sands.
This wonder of nature has become a main tourist attraction of the area.
The stars are not grains of sand, but microscopic, now empty exoskeletons of Baculogypsina
Sphaerulata, a type of unicellular organism belonging to the species of Foraminifera that once
lived on the seabed. These extraordinary tiny creatures are one of the oldest fossils known to
man. These star-shaped calcium carbonate shells were dragged ashore by ocean currents and then
mixed with sand.
The "starry" beach of Hoshizuna-no-Hama has always been the topic of myths and legends. One of
the stories of the local tradition claims the small formations were once the younger children of the
Southern Cross and of the North Star. They were then killed by a fierce sea snake immediately
after birth and the stars were then generated in the depths of the sea.
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