Saturday, June 21, 2025
Japan is grappling with a severe tourism crisis as the The Future I Saw manga’s earthquake prophecy has taken hold of travelers, particularly from East Asia, sparking widespread fear. The manga’s updated prediction of a catastrophic event in July 2025 has gained traction across social media platforms, leading to a significant decline in bookings from key markets like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. Tourists are avoiding Japan, fearing the foretold disaster, which has deeply affected the country’s tourism sector. In response to these concerns, Japanese officials are urgently working to clarify the misinformation, emphasizing that such specific earthquake predictions are scientifically impossible and reassuring the public with credible information. The government’s swift actions aim to combat the panic and restore confidence among travelers, ensuring that Japan’s tourism industry recovers from this unprecedented disruption.
First published in 1999, The Future I Saw by Ryo Tatsuki made a chilling prediction about a “great disaster” expected to occur in March 2011. This coincided with the Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that devastated Japan. In 2021, the manga was updated, claiming that an even more significant disaster would strike in July 2025. The new version has gained a considerable following across East Asia, particularly in countries like Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and South Korea — which were top sources of Japanese tourism last year.
As the manga’s alarming predictions gained traction, they spread rapidly through social media channels, where videos and posts warning of an impending disaster have garnered millions of views. This has led many travelers from these countries to reconsider or cancel their plans to visit Japan, directly impacting the nation’s tourism sector.
In response to the growing concerns, Japanese officials have strongly refuted the claims and emphasized the scientific impossibility of accurately predicting earthquakes. Ryoichi Nomura, the head of the Japan Meteorological Agency, clarified that predicting the specific time, location, or magnitude of earthquakes is unfeasible and urged the public to dismiss such predictions as baseless.
The uncertainty surrounding the manga’s forecast was further compounded by Japan’s own recent seismic warnings. The Japan Meteorological Agency raised alarms about a potential “megaquake” along the Nankai Trough, a major fault line in the Pacific Ocean. This was after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Miyazaki in August 2024. While an official warning was issued at the time, it was later lifted. Nevertheless, in January 2025, a government task force projected an 80% chance of an 8- or 9-magnitude earthquake occurring in the same area within the next 30 years. Despite the long-term nature of this warning, social media users have linked it to the manga’s predictions, amplifying the existing fears.
The effects on tourism have been noticeable. Several airlines in Hong Kong have cut back on their services to southern Japan, particularly during the summer peak. Hong Kong Airlines canceled flights between Kagoshima and Kumamoto, while Greater Bay Airlines scaled back flights to Tokushima. The Tokushima Tourism Promotion Division explained that these reductions were directly linked to the growing anxiety among travelers. Additionally, flights to Tottori prefecture saw a drastic drop in occupancy, from 85% during the Easter holiday to just 43.3% in May.
In Hong Kong, travel agencies report that the fears are particularly pronounced among residents from areas with little or no earthquake experience. Some agencies, such as WWPKG, have attempted to reassure travelers by offering packages with full refunds in the event of an earthquake of magnitude 5 or higher. However, this measure has not been enough to alleviate the widespread concerns. Many travelers have shifted their focus to alternative destinations, including Australia, Dubai, and Europe.
Similar trends have been observed in Taiwan, where flight prices to Japan have dropped significantly for July, a typically high-demand period. Taiwanese influencer Brian In noted the unusual price reductions, suggesting that they could be due to an oversupply of flights or the growing influence of the manga’s prophecy on travel trends.
Despite these setbacks, Japan’s tourism industry remains resilient. Projections for 2025 indicate that Japan is on course to surpass the record of 36.8 million visitors it welcomed in 2024. New data shows a 21.5% increase in foreign visitors in May 2025 compared to the same month in the previous year, although Hong Kong was the only market to report a decline.
Japan, one of the most seismically active countries in the world, experiences around 1,500 earthquakes each year. Nomura reassured both locals and international visitors that while Japan is prone to earthquakes, it is crucial to remain calm and rely on scientifically accurate information rather than unfounded predictions. He urged people not to let fear guide their decisions but instead to focus on preparing based on credible sources.
Japan is facing a tourism crisis as fear from The Future I Saw manga’s earthquake prophecy causes widespread panic, leading to a sharp decline in visitors. Officials are actively combating the misinformation, reassuring travelers with credible, fact-based information to restore confidence.
In conclusion, although fears fueled by the manga’s predictions have influenced some travelers’ choices, Japan’s tourism industry continues to thrive. The government is working to ensure that decisions are made based on facts, not fear, and is committed to providing reliable information to both residents and visitors.
