Hamamatsu, Japan - Mysterious balloons are making waves at the moment, and they're now even washing up on beaches, with Japanese authorities baffled by the latest spherical object to cause a stir.

With Chinese spy balloons and other unidentified objects dominating the news cycle over the past few weeks, Japan got its own variation on the theme, when a large, golden sphere washed up on a beach in the city of Hamamatsu.

Authorities sealed off the area on Tuesday and took a closer look at the metal or metal-coated object, which also has handles that seem fit for hooking.

According to the Guardian, they were able to confirm a few important details – the main one being that this was not some sort of explosive device. X-rays revealed that the ball is hollow on the inside, which no doubt made investigators breathe a sigh of relief.

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But as far as what exactly the thing is, there's still no clear answer. Sure, the 4-feet diameter sphere could be a lost buoy, but that kind of banal explanation hasn't stopped people speculating about UFOs and – of course – Chinese spy balloons, which have been worrying Japan as of late.

And while authorities were scratching their heads trying to figure out what they had discovered, locals were more baffled by all the hubbub, since, as one man told Japanese network NHK, the ball had been there for a month.