A beach of stars: this is the sand of Hoshizuna-no-Hama

Hoshizuna-no-hama literally means "star sand beach". And it could not be otherwise, given the peculiarity of this beach on Taketomi-Jima Island, in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.
Here, in fact, the sand is made up of hundreds of thousands of small five- and six-pointed stars. A unique spectacle, which over the centuries has fueled legends and has continued to attract tourists from all over the globe.

What are the stars

In reality, these little millimeter stars are nothing but the exoskeletons of Baculogypsina sphaerulata. These tiny creatures inhabit the deep ocean floor and the points that give the appearance of stars allow them to move.
When these marine organisms die, the exoskeletons are dragged ashore by ocean currents. The best time to admire the starry beach of Hoshizuna-no-Hama, in fact, is after a storm: the waves deposit thousands of exoskeletons along the shore, giving the resort a unique aspect in the world.

Local legend

The presence of these exceptional creatures has, over the centuries, fueled myths and legends. According to local stories, the small stars were born from the union between the Polar Star and the Southern Cross. Tradition says that the stars would have been generated right in the sea off Okinawa, but that a ferocious sea snake would have killed them immediately. , leaving their little skeletons in the sea.