Despite being around since the 1960s, it seems that the novelty of gachapon has not lost its appeal.
Case in point: On Feb. 21, the Japanese public found itself pondering over the contents of a giant ball shown in a video posted by NHK World (NHK).
A mysterious metal ball spotted on a beach in Hamamatsu City this week prompted local police to scramble the bomb squad. A careful examination revealed it is not a threat — but shed no light on what it actually is. pic.twitter.com/ytClWsP0bw
— NHK WORLD News (@NHKWORLD_News) February 21, 2023
A man came across the mysterious sphere on his walk along Enshuhama Beach in Hamamatsu City. After he alerted local authorities, police were seen cordoning a 200m radius around the ball.
A bomb squad was sent in.
They concluded that the ball was metal and its insides were hollow.
The ball was also estimated to be about 1.5m in diameter.
@mothershipsg hmmm dragonball #tiktoksg #tiktoksg ♬ Cha-La Head-Cha-La – Dragon Ball Z & Dragon Ball
This metal object has apparently been chilling unnoticed for quite some time. NHK reported that upon discovering the scene, another local remarked: “That ball has been there for a month. I tried to push it but it didn’t budge.”
It remains unclear what he was trying to uncover with such an act, but further speculation has taken over the internet regarding the origins of the sphere.
Many people shared the sentiments of this one Twitter user:
Amidst the chaos of conspiracy theories that surfaced, people engaged in very intellectual discourse surrounding the emergence of a possible “Godzilla egg” or “dragon ball”.
Others took a more political slant, suggesting that it could be another one of China’s sneaky spy balloons.
One commenter finally spoiled the fun with common sense:
“It’s a steel mooring buoy. They are specially designed for the mooring of vessels in the most economical way while protecting shorelines, natural habitats & other boats by giving those sailing or stationed an alternative anchoring point for all types of vessels.”
Guess all that fuss was for naught.
Top images via Reuters and NHK
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