In the town called 'Beautiful Stars' resides the Hoshio ('Star Tail') Shrine.

The area in which this shrine sits has long been called 'Kuroda' (Black-rice field), and in this area, many people believed in the power of the North Star.

During the Jokyu Era (1219-1222), it is said that three shooting stars fell in this area, and those areas were considered sacred.

In later years, stars appeared in people's dreams, and those people seemed to be healed of their ailments. This lead to the area being renamed to 'Hoshida' (Star-rice field), and the Hoshio Shrine being built, to pray to the Gods of the stars.

Nowadays, this hidden shrine still stands tall. As it cannot be seen properly from the road, visiting it feels like discovering a secret world from a Ghibli Film. The age and majesty of the shrine is unmistakeable.