An adult Japanese White-eye spotted in Yangshuo County in southern China. This species has olive-green upperparts with a yellowish chin and throat, whereas the underparts are dull white, becoming dusky on the sides and flanks.

It has a feathered white eye-ring, which in front of the eye is broken by black feathers that form a black margin along the bottom of half of the eye. Its bill is black and its legs and feet are dark grey.

It is similar to the Oriental White-eye (fig.), but is darker above, has no ventral stripe and has some yellow colouration in the region between the eye and the bill.