Saturday, July 5, 2025
Japan is currently experiencing a sharp and unexpected tourism downturn as travelers from South Korea, China, and Taiwan cancel their trips in large numbers, driven by a viral rumor rooted in a decades-old manga. The comic, The Future I Saw, originally published in 1995, has resurfaced online with a chilling prediction of a massive earthquake and tsunami set to strike Japan on July 5, 2025. Despite reassurances from scientists that such seismic events cannot be predicted, the manga’s eerie reference—especially after its earlier prediction of the 2011 disaster proved eerily accurate—has triggered widespread panic across Asia. As fear spreads, Japan’s tourism industry is now grappling with mass cancellations, empty hotel rooms, and disrupted summer travel plans, highlighting the real-world impact of fictional narratives in today’s hyper-connected world.
Japan Faces Sudden Tourism Drop Amid Viral Manga “Prediction” of July 5 Doomsday Quake
Japan is currently grappling with an unexpected tourism downturn following the rapid spread of a bizarre rumor: a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami are allegedly set to strike the country on July 5, 2025. The origin of this alarming forecast isn’t scientific or official—it stems from a decades-old manga titled The Future I Saw. The comic, created by former manga artist Ryo Tatsuki in 1995 and re-released in 2021, has gone viral for its supposed prophecy that has now triggered mass panic and cancellations across the nation.
Manga Myth Triggers Modern Mayhem
The manga, The Future I Saw, is a collection of prophetic dreams Tatsuki claimed to have had. One dream in particular eerily resembled the real-life 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which devastated Japan and caused a nuclear accident at the Fukushima plant. This earlier accuracy has now given a newfound weight to another dream in her book, where she describes a much larger earthquake and tsunami striking Japan on July 5—one so powerful it would affect nearby countries and produce a tsunami three times larger than usual.
Although the artist herself has publicly denied any claim to clairvoyance, stating through her publisher that she is not a prophet and never intended her work to be taken literally, the damage seems to be done. Social media and viral reposts of select pages from the manga have stirred widespread anxiety, especially as the date approached.
Tourists Cancel, Locals Flee
The fallout has been immediate and dramatic. In the days leading up to July 5, Japan has seen a sharp rise in international flight cancellations and hotel booking withdrawals, particularly from tourists traveling from neighboring Asian countries like Taiwan, South Korea, and China. Some domestic travelers have also chosen to stay home or leave coastal cities.
Airlines have reported a noticeable uptick in last-minute cancellations. In Kyushu, the southern Japanese island mentioned frequently in seismic activity reports, local tour operators have reported a 35% drop in reservations for the first week of July compared to the same period last year. Even bullet train bookings along the southern route have declined.
This mass retreat has dealt a blow to Japan’s tourism sector, which had been recovering steadily after the pandemic and benefiting from a favorable yen that made travel cheaper for foreign visitors. The unexpected fear over a fictional prophecy has turned a peak travel week into a crisis for some regional destinations.
Scientists Dismiss Prophecy Claims
Experts have been quick to calm the public and counter the narrative. Seismologists from across the globe, including prominent voices in Japan, have dismissed the notion that earthquakes can be predicted with such specificity.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) has also reiterated that while the country is prone to frequent tremors due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, there is no evidence to support a massive disaster occurring on July 5. However, their reassurances haven’t stopped the wave of fear from spreading online.
Real Quakes Add Fuel to Fiction
Ironically, just days ahead of the rumored catastrophe, Japan experienced a minor earthquake on July 2, adding fuel to the growing hysteria and intensifying fears tied to the manga’s ominous forecast. It registered moderately on the Richter scale and caused no serious damage. Still, its timing has intensified concerns among those already fearful of the prophecy.
Additionally, Japan has recorded over 900 small tremors in the past few weeks—most of them concentrated around Kyushu and nearby regions. For many, these quakes, while not unusual in geological terms, are being interpreted as signs that the prophecy may be coming true.
The situation highlights the complex relationship between cultural narratives, media virality, and public perception. While Japan is no stranger to superstitions and spiritual beliefs, the speed at which a manga story from the late 1990s has caused a national-scale reaction is unprecedented.
Ryo Tatsuki Breaks Silence
Amid the escalating turmoil, Ryo Tatsuki—now in her seventies and having long stepped away from the public eye—broke her silence with an exceptionally rare statement delivered through her publisher, attempting to calm the growing storm her decades-old manga unintentionally unleashed. She clarified that her manga was never meant to be a tool for predicting real-world events and insisted that the stories were inspired by dreams, not divine messages or scientific insight.
Despite this, forums, Reddit threads, and social media posts continue to speculate, dissect and even sensationalize the manga panels that mention July 5. The story has captivated not just manga fans but also everyday travelers who may not otherwise pay attention to Japanese comics.
Tourism Officials Scramble for Damage Control
With Japan’s inbound tourism crucial to its post-pandemic economic recovery, government and tourism officials are now in damage-control mode. Campaigns are being launched to reassure travelers of safety, with the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) emphasizing scientific facts and providing updated information via embassies and travel advisories.
Meanwhile, airlines and hotel chains are working to accommodate last-minute cancellations and reassure hesitant customers. Some tourism boards in areas like Hiroshima, Osaka, and Fukuoka are now offering special discounts to encourage visitors to continue with their travel plans.
This unusual episode underscores how quickly rumors, no matter how fantastical, can translate into real-world consequences—especially in today’s hyperconnected digital world. Japan’s situation this week serves as a reminder of the importance of science communication, responsible media consumption, and the fragility of tourism in the face of fear, even when that fear stems from fiction.
Japan is facing a sudden tourism crisis as visitors from South Korea, China, and Taiwan cancel trips en masse due to a viral manga prophecy predicting a devastating earthquake on July 5. The panic stems from The Future I Saw, a decades-old comic that eerily foreshadowed the 2011 disaster, sparking renewed fears despite scientific reassurances.
As the date of July 5 passes without incident, many hope confidence in traveling to Japan will swiftly return. But the bizarre impact of a 30-year-old manga will remain a case study in how storytelling, however unintended, can ripple across nations.
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