A manga predicting a natural disaster is affecting tourism to Japan

Summer is one of the busiest travel times of the year, but some people who have upcoming itineraries in Japan may be rethinking their plans. The reason: a Japanese comic book, or manga, that warns of a devastating natural disaster set to befall Japan.

This might sound like a bizarre reason to cancel an upcoming trip, but reports have indicated that many Asian travelers are wary since the book and its author have seemingly predicted disasters in the past. Now, people are concerned that the manga might come true again.

What is predicted in this manga?

The manga, "The Future I Saw," was republished in 2021 after first being written in 1999. The 2021 version claims that a massive earthquake will hit Japan in July 2025. Some people are concerned because the book seems to have been correct before; the 1999 version "warned of a major disaster in March 2011, a date which turned out to coincide with the cataclysmic quake that struck Japan's northern Tohoku region that month," said CNN. The republished manga warns that on "July 5 this year, a crack will open up under the seabed between Japan and the Philippines, sending ashore waves three times as tall as those from the Tohoku earthquake."

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The manga's author, Ryo Tatsuki, also has a "significant following in East Asia," and her fans "often believe she can accurately see future events in her dreams," said CNN. Her "2011 quake prediction — or coincidence — made Tatsuki famous not just in Japan but also in other parts of Asia like Thailand and China." The author has allegedly predicted other world events, including the death of Princess Diana and the Covid-19 pandemic.

But "The Future I Saw" is not the only predictive device that has tourists worried. Many "online rumors warning that a huge earthquake will soon strike Japan" have been circulating, said AFP. At least one "Facebook group that claims to predict disasters in Japan has over a quarter of a million members." One viral YouTube video "featuring a feng shui master urging viewers not to visit Japan, published by local media outlet HK01, has been viewed more than 100,000 times."

What effect is this having on tourism to Japan?

Many tourists are reportedly canceling or changing their trips to Japan, especially people from Hong Kong. Residents of the Chinese city "made nearly 2.7 million trips to Japan in 2024," said AFP, but the "earthquake prophecy has absolutely caused a big change to our customers' preferences," Frankie Chow, the head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday, told the outlet. Chow's company reportedly "received 70-80% fewer inquiries about traveling to Japan than last year."

Flight reservations are also being impacted. The Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines "expected around 80% of the seats to be taken, but actual reservations came to only 40%," Hiroki Ito, the general manager of the airline's Japan office, told Japan's Asahi newspaper.

Amid the tourism issues, Japan's government has taken steps to reassure people that the country is safe — even as the Chinese embassy "cautioned citizens visiting or living in Japan to take precautions against natural disasters," said the South China Morning Post. It would be a "major problem if the spread of unscientific rumors on social media had an effect on tourism," Yoshihiro Murai, the governor of Japan's Miyagi prefecture, said during a press conference.

There is "no reason to worry," Murai added, noting that Japanese citizens are not fleeing abroad. "I hope people will ignore the rumors and visit."