Kayauchi-banta Cliff, Limestone cliff in Kunigami, Japan

Kayauchi-banta is a cliff about 100 meters high in Ginanma, Kunigami Village, formed of rock with a sheer face dropping to the sea. It is reached by climbing a road between giant boulders known as the Modoru-michi, or Return Path. From the top, the islands of Iheya and Izena are visible on the clear water.

The cliff lay on a pre-road route where travellers crossed the rock face using stakes driven into a crevice and tree roots. When two people met, one had to step back and yield, which gave the passage the name Modoru-michi, the "returning path". The road now climbs through that same crevice between huge boulders.

The name comes from a practice told in local tradition: bundles of kaya grass thrown from the cliff edge were scattered by the strong wind, giving the spot its name. Banta is the local word for a cliff or edge. The cliff stands in Yambaru National Park, which until 2016 was the Okinawa Kaigan Quasi-National Park.

Access by car is via National Route 58; by bus, take route 67 from Naha or Nago to Hentona, then the Kunigami village bus Okku line to Ginama Iriguchi stop, followed by a 15-minute walk. The viewpoint sits at the top of a road through a rock crevice known as the Modoru-michi, the "return path".

The name Kayauchi-banta comes from a practice attributed to the site: bundles of kaya grass thrown from the cliff edge were torn apart by the strong wind, and banta is the local word for a cliff or edge. The cliff stands about 100 m high and lies within Yambaru National Park, which replaced its earlier status as part of Okinawa Kaigan Quasi-National Park in 2016.