Michelin Green Guide Yaeyama & Amami — Three-Star Kabira Bay, Taketomi and Iriomote, and All 30 Starred Sights
Kabira Bay on Ishigaki is the only three-star entry in Okinawa Prefecture in the 2015 edition of the Michelin Green Guide. Ishigaki, Taketomi, Iriomote and the Manta Scramble dive site are two-star. The 2020 edition newly awarded two stars to the Amami Islands, along with the Oshima Tsumugi Village, Ohama Seaside Park, Yoron and Oganeku Beach. All 30 starred sights across the Yaeyama and Amami islands, with their editions and the rules that protect them.
- What the Michelin Green Guide is — 30 starred sights in Yaeyama and Amami
- Three-star Kabira Bay, Ishigaki and the Manta Scramble
- Two-star Taketomi — red-tiled houses and Kaiji Beach
- Two-star Iriomote — the Urauchi River, Hoshizuna Beach, and daily entry caps
- Amami Oshima, Kikai and Tokunoshima
- Okinoerabu and Yoron, with model routes
- Michelin Green Guide Yaeyama & Amami — FAQ
What the Michelin Green Guide is — 30 starred sights in Yaeyama and Amami
The three-star entry is a bay of emerald green
This is the Michelin Green Guide (Le Guide Vert), which rates destinations rather than restaurants. The Japan edition is published in France: the 4th edition in 2015, the 6th in 2020, and the current one in 2025. Every star below is given with the edition that awarded it.
| Rating | Meaning | Yaeyama & Amami |
|---|---|---|
| ★★★ | Worth a special journey | 1 sight |
| ★★☆ | Worth a detour | 9 sights (5 new in the 2020 edition) |
| ★☆☆ | Interesting | 20 sights (16 new in the 2020 edition) |
The stars of the Yaeyama Islands (Ishigaki, Taketomi, Iriomote), southwest of Okinawa’s main island, come from the 2015 edition; those of the Amami Islands in Kagoshima (Amami Oshima, Kikai, Tokunoshima, Okinoerabu, Yoron) were added in 2020. Iriomote, Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima became a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site in 2021. Ishigaki, the gateway to Yaeyama, is about three and a half hours from Tokyo by air; Amami Oshima about two and a half. Base yourself on Ishigaki and take boats to the other islands; in Amami, move between islands by plane or ferry. On the water around Ishigaki, a guided tour is the safe way to do it.
SUP or canoe on Kabira Bay plus the Blue Cave in one Viator day.
Sakura Mobile: island boats cancel often, so check their status on the spot.
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A bay to look at, not to swim in
Three-star Kabira Bay, Ishigaki and the Manta Scramble
Kabira Bay is three-star in the 2015 edition, and Ishigaki two-star. White sand and small wooded islands enclose water that shifts between emerald and deep blue with the light. Black pearls are farmed here and the currents are strong, so swimming in the bay is prohibited. You see what is underneath from a glass-bottomed boat. Nearby Sukuji Beach is one-star.
The dive site Manta Scramble, off Ishigaki’s northwest coast, is two-star, known for a high chance of meeting reef manta rays. Diving or snorkelling, do not touch or chase the mantas or the coral. SUP and canoe tours up Ishigaki’s mangrove rivers are popular too.
Kabira Bay from the water by SUP or canoe, a half day on Viator.
A half-day plan on Kabira Bay with a choice of SUP or canoe.
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Fifteen minutes by boat from Ishigaki, and a century away
Two-star Taketomi — red-tiled houses and Kaiji Beach
Taketomi is two-star in the 2015 edition. About 15 minutes by fast boat from the Ishigaki ferry terminal, this small island keeps a village of red-tiled roofs, coral stone walls and white sand lanes, which you can tour by water-buffalo cart. Kaiji Beach, where you can find star-shaped sand, is one-star.
Taketomi is an island whose residents protect its landscape and way of life while receiving visitors. On arrival you are asked to contribute an entry fee towards conservation. Do not enter houses or gardens, do not carry away star sand or coral, and ride bicycles slowly through the village.
A Klook plan pairing an Ishigaki activity with Taketomi sightseeing.
A walk through the village of two-star Taketomi with an island guide.
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Nine-tenths jungle, and World Heritage
Two-star Iriomote — the Urauchi River, Hoshizuna Beach, and daily entry caps
Iriomote is two-star in the 2015 edition, with the Urauchi River and Hoshizuna (star sand) Beach at one star. Most of the island is subtropical forest and mangrove, home to the Iriomote cat, a Special Natural Monument. On the Urauchi you take a boat upriver and then a footpath to the waterfalls. Ishigaki to Iriomote is 40 to 50 minutes by fast boat.
To protect the environment, daily entry caps have applied to some areas of Iriomote since March 2025. Five locations, the Pinaisara Falls on the Hinai River among them, require an application in advance plus either a registered guide or a pre-visit briefing. On the island’s roads, slow down to avoid hitting an Iriomote cat.
Barasu snorkelling and a mangrove SUP or canoe, one Klook day on Iriomote.
The water-buffalo crossing to Yubu Island plus an activity, on Klook.
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New stars in the Amami Islands in the 2020 edition
Amami Oshima, Kikai and Tokunoshima
The 2020 edition gives two stars to the Amami Islands and one to Amami Oshima. The Oshima Tsumugi Village, where you can watch the mud-dyeing of Oshima tsumugi silk, and Ohama Seaside Park, with its blue water and white sand, are two-star, and the Kuroshio Forest Mangrove Park, where you canoe through the mangroves, is one-star. The museum of Isson Tanaka, the painter of Amami, is listed too.
On Kikai, an uplifted coral island, Sugira Beach and its memorial and the Araki-Nakazato promenade are one-star. Tokunoshima is one-star, with the wave-cut arch Inno Jofuta, Cape Inutabu and its memorial to the battleship Yamato, the granite shore of Mushiro-se and Aze Prince Beach at one star each. The forests of Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima are home to the Amami rabbit, a Special Natural Monument. On forest roads at night, slow down and do not hold a light on the animals.
Southern Amami Oshima’s jungle and rivers on a private Viator half day.
A boat day snorkelling the waters off northern Amami Oshima.
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A white sandbar that appears only at low tide
Okinoerabu and Yoron, with model routes
The 2020 edition gives two stars to Yoron and Oganeku Beach. Offshore from Oganeku, the white sandbar of Yurigahama surfaces only when the tide draws back. Tomai and Terasaki Beach and Minata Beach are one-star. Okinoerabu is one-star too, with the blowhole cave Fucha, Wanjo Beach, the cliffs of Cape Tamina and the 3.5 km limestone cave Shoryudo at one star each.
| Day | Area | Main stars collected |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Ishigaki | Kabira Bay ★★★ · Ishigaki ★★☆ · Sukuji Beach ★☆☆ |
| Day 2 | Taketomi | Taketomi ★★☆ · Kaiji Beach ★☆☆ |
| Day 3 | Iriomote | Iriomote ★★☆ · Urauchi River ★☆☆ · Hoshizuna Beach ★☆☆ |
| Separate trip | Amami & Yoron | Amami Islands ★★☆ · Oshima Tsumugi Village ★★☆ · Yoron ★★☆ · Oganeku Beach ★★☆ |
A Viator night “izari” walk across Yoron’s shallows at low tide.
The Blue Cave on Ishigaki by snorkel, a half day on Viator.
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Michelin Green Guide Yaeyama & Amami — FAQ
Which sight in Okinawa Prefecture has three stars?
Kabira Bay on Ishigaki, in the 2015 edition. It is the only three-star entry in the prefecture.
Can I swim in Kabira Bay?
No. Black pearls are farmed there and the currents are strong, so swimming in the bay is prohibited. See it by glass-bottomed boat, SUP or canoe.
Are any parts of Iriomote restricted?
Yes. Since March 2025, five locations including the Pinaisara Falls have daily entry caps, requiring an application in advance and either a registered guide or a pre-visit briefing.
How are the Amami Islands rated?
The 2020 edition gives them two stars, as it does the Oshima Tsumugi Village, Ohama Seaside Park, Yoron and Oganeku Beach.
Are these the current ratings?
Each star is given with the edition that awarded it. These are the ratings from the 2015 and 2020 editions, and they are reviewed with every edition.
Are Taketomi and Iriomote day trips from Ishigaki?
Yes — about 15 minutes to Taketomi and 40 to 50 to Iriomote from the Ishigaki ferry terminal. Sailings are cancelled in bad weather, so check the day’s status.
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Star ratings: ★★★ worth a special journey / ★★☆ worth a detour / ★☆☆ interesting. Stars come from the 4th (2015) or 6th (2020) edition of the Michelin Green Guide Japan, as noted for each sight, and are reviewed with every edition. “Starred sights” counts every entry the guide awards stars to — including buildings inside a site, museum pieces, viewpoints and routes — so it is not a count of separate locations.
