Japan is witnessing a sharp dip in tourist arrivals from Asia, and a 25-year-old manga is at the center of the chaos. The comic book, titled The Future I Saw by Ryo Tatsuki, has stirred fear among travelers from South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, many of whom have cancelled or postponed their trips ahead of July 5, 2025.
A Comic That Sparked Real Fear
Originally published in 1999, The Future I Saw regained attention after readers noted that it predicted a “great disaster” in March 2011—the same month Japan endured a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. A revised edition, released in 2021, included a new prediction: that another major disaster would strike Japan on July 5, 2025.
Though there is no scientific evidence to support these claims, the earlier coincidence has made many take the manga seriously. The March 2011 disaster killed over 18,000 people and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Viral Panic on Social Media
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported that over 1,400 YouTube videos have explored the manga’s prophecies, accumulating more than 100 million views. These videos speculate everything from volcanic eruptions to meteor strikes. Meanwhile, the updated manga has sold nearly one million copies, reflecting its renewed popularity.
Flight Cancellations and Sharp Booking Decline
Tourism data shared by Bloomberg Intelligence and travel analytics firm ForwardKeys indicates a steep drop in bookings. Flight reservations from Hong Kong to Japan fell by 50% year-on-year. For late June and early July, the decrease surged to 83%.
Travel agencies in Hong Kong also reported a decline of nearly half during the April-May holiday period compared to last year. Greater Bay Airlines, which expected high demand during cherry blossom and Easter seasons, was taken aback.
“We expected around 80% of the seats to be taken, but actual reservations came to only 40%,” said Hiroki Ito, general manager of the airline’s Japan office, in an interview with a Japanese daily, as cited by The Guardian.
Hong Kong Airlines and others have since reduced the frequency of flights to Japan.
Local Officials Try to Calm Fears
With travel cancellations mounting, local leaders have stepped in to ease public concern. Yoshihiro Murai, Governor of Miyagi Prefecture—one of the areas worst hit in 2011—urged people not to fall for baseless rumors. He stressed that the panic is negatively impacting local tourism economies.
Japan is located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” making it one of the most earthquake-prone nations. However, scientists repeatedly emphasize that while the risk of large quakes is high, no one can predict their exact timing or location.
In fact, a recent government report acknowledged an 80% chance of a powerful earthquake along the Nankai Trough within the next 30 years, potentially killing up to 300,000 people and damaging millions of structures. Yet this is based on seismic patterns, not comic book forecasts.
Manga Creator Urges Calm
Ryo Tatsuki, the author behind the manga, has addressed the growing panic. In a recent interview with a Japanese newspaper, she asked readers not to take her predictions too seriously. She also urged the public to trust scientific experts rather than unverified theories.
Despite her reassurance, the fear generated by the book’s eerie coincidence in 2011 continues to spread online, threatening Japan’s tourism industry at a time when it was beginning to recover from the pandemic.