Will Japan Sink in July 2025? The Manga Prophecy That’s Crippling Tourism!
In an era where social media can amplify whispers into roars, a single manga has sent shockwaves through Japan’s thriving tourism industry. Ryo Tatsuki’s The Future I Saw, a graphic novel originally published in 1999, has resurfaced with a chilling prediction: a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami will strike Japan on July 5, 2025. This prophecy, coupled with its eerie alignment with the 2011 Tohoku disaster, has triggered a wave of fear, particularly among East Asian travelers, leading to mass cancellations and a significant downturn in travel bookings. As Japan grapples with the fallout of this unscientific forecast, the intersection of cultural superstition, digital amplification, and seismic realities raises critical questions about the fragility of tourism in the face of rumors and the resilience of a nation accustomed to natural disasters.
The Manga That Shook a Nation
Ryo Tatsuki, a retired Japanese manga artist, first gained notoriety when her 1999 work, The Future I Saw, appeared to predict the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, a magnitude-9.0 disaster that claimed over 18,500 lives and triggered the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. The manga, based on Tatsuki’s dream journal, included a cryptic reference to a “Great Disaster” in March 2011, which lent her work an almost mystical credibility when the tragedy unfolded. In 2021, Tatsuki released a revised edition, The Future I Saw: The Complete Edition, which included a new prophecy: a massive earthquake on July 5, 2025, caused by a seabed fissure between Japan and the Philippines, unleashing tsunamis three times larger than those in 2011. The manga describes the Pacific Ocean “boiling” with bubbles, hinting at an underwater volcanic eruption, and envisions a disaster that could inundate up to a quarter of Japan’s coastline.
This vivid imagery, combined with Tatsuki’s track record, struck a chord in East Asia, particularly in Hong Kong and mainland China, where cultural beliefs in prophecy and feng shui hold significant sway. The manga’s cult following, amplified by social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube, has transformed a speculative narrative into a perceived existential threat. Over 1,400 YouTube videos and 50 TikTok clips, collectively garnering over 140 million views, have spread the prophecy, with some posts falsely claiming additional threats like meteorite strikes or volcanic eruptions. These digital echoes have turned a niche comic into a regional phenomenon, with tangible economic consequences.
The Tourism Fallout: Numbers Tell the Story
Japan’s tourism industry, a cornerstone of its economy, has been riding a post-pandemic wave of success. In 2024, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) reported a record-breaking 36.9 million foreign visitors, surpassing the pre-pandemic peak of 31.9 million in 2019. This surge generated approximately ¥8.1 trillion (USD $53.3 billion) in tourism revenue, with per capita spending averaging ¥227,000 (USD $1,493). East Asian markets, particularly China (2.36 million visitors in Q1 2025, up 78% year-on-year) and Hong Kong (647,600 visitors in Q1 2025, up 3.9%), have been pivotal to this growth. However, the manga prophecy has cast a shadow over these figures, particularly in Hong Kong, Japan’s fourth-largest tourism market.
Travel agencies in Hong Kong have reported a dramatic decline in bookings. Frankie Chow, head of CLS Holiday, noted a 70–80% drop in inquiries for Japan travel since March 2025, with clients opting for destinations like Dubai, Bangkok, or Australia. Greater Bay Airlines, a key carrier connecting Hong Kong to Japanese cities like Sendai and Tokushima, saw flight reservations plummet from an expected 80% capacity to just 40%. As a result, the airline reduced weekly round-trip flights to Tokushima from three to two and suspended one weekly flight to Sendai from May to October 2025. WWPKG, another Hong Kong-based agency, reported cancellation rates as high as 50% during the Easter holidays, with projections suggesting further declines as July approaches.
The ripple effect extends beyond Hong Kong. Social media platforms in mainland China, Thailand, and Vietnam are flooded with warnings about travel to Japan, with over 200 Chinese-language videos amassing 50 million views. In Tokushima Prefecture, local tourism operators have been blindsided by the sudden drop in visitors, with hotels reporting evaporating bookings from Hong Kong. Japan’s overall tourism arrivals from Hong Kong in March 2025 fell by 9.9% year-on-year, a decline partially attributed to the prophecy but compounded by shifts in holiday schedules.
The Role of Social Media and Cultural Sensitivities
The rapid spread of the manga prophecy highlights the power of social media to amplify unverified claims. In Hong Kong, where earthquakes are rare, the fear of a foreign disaster resonates deeply. Cantonese Telegram channels and TikTok videos have distorted Japan’s scientific warnings, such as the government’s estimate of an 80% chance of a magnitude 8–9 Nankai Trough earthquake within the next 30 years, into a false narrative of an imminent July 2025 catastrophe. This misinterpretation was exacerbated by a notice from China’s embassy in Tokyo, which urged citizens to exercise caution due to recent seismic activity, inadvertently lending credibility to the rumors.
Cultural factors also play a significant role. In Hong Kong, feng shui master Qi Xian Yu, known as Master Seven, warned against travel to Japan after April 2025, citing “fire-prone” astrological alignments. Her YouTube video, viewed over 100,000 times, amplified fears already stoked by Tatsuki’s manga. Similarly, Okinawan seer Kinjo Tamotsu, with 250,000 YouTube followers, blends seismic data with zodiacal mysticism, further blurring the line between science and superstition. These figures tap into a regional fascination with metaphysical predictions, offering certainty in a realm where science admits uncertainty.
Japan’s Response: Science vs. Superstition
Japanese authorities have moved swiftly to counter the panic. The Cabinet Office posted on X in April 2025, stating, “Predicting earthquakes by date, time, and place is not possible based on current scientific knowledge.” This message was echoed by experts like Sekiya Naoya, a disaster prevention specialist at the University of Tokyo, who emphasized that even if a quake occurs in July, it would be coincidental and not a validation of the prophecy. Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai, whose prefecture was devastated in 2011, called the rumors a “major problem” for tourism, urging travelers to ignore unscientific claims.
Despite these efforts, the damage is palpable. The Japanese government’s Earthquake Research Committee has long warned of a 75–82% probability of a Nankai Trough mega-quake within 30 years, with potential losses of 298,000 lives and ¥270.3 trillion (USD $1.8 trillion) in economic damage. These long-term projections, intended to enhance preparedness, have been weaponized by social media, creating a paradox: Japan’s transparency about its seismic risks has fueled public fear rather than confidence.
The Broader Implications: Tourism, Psychology, and Resilience
The manga prophecy’s impact reveals the vulnerability of tourism to misinformation. Japan’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism (contributing 7.3% to GDP in 2024), faces significant losses if cancellations persist. Small businesses, from ryokans in Hakone to souvenir shops in Osaka, are particularly at risk, as Hong Kong travelers alone spent ¥380 billion (USD $1.9 billion) in 2023. The shift in travel preferences to destinations like Dubai (up 65% in Hong Kong bookings) and Thailand underscores the competitive nature of global tourism.
Psychologically, the prophecy taps into primal fears of unpredictability, especially in regions like Hong Kong, where existential uncertainties amplify the appeal of prophetic narratives. Professor Hiromichi Nakamori of Nihon University notes that rumors thrive in environments of subliminal worry, a condition Japan’s frequent seismic activity exacerbates. The manga’s vivid imagery—boiling oceans, towering tsunamis—resonates more powerfully than abstract scientific probabilities, driving travelers to seek “safer” alternatives.
Yet, Japan’s resilience offers a counterpoint. The country’s infrastructure, building codes, and disaster preparedness are among the world’s best, enabling it to withstand even severe tremors. Travelers like Vic Shing from Hong Kong, who plans to visit Tokyo and Osaka in June 2025, remain unfazed, citing Japan’s proven ability to manage disasters. “Earthquake predictions have never been accurate,” Shing told CNN. “Japan has encountered many massive earthquakes before.”
To mitigate the fallout, Japanese tourism operators are rolling out aggressive promotions. Agencies like WWPKG offer discounted fares, free children’s tickets, and full refunds for cancellations due to earthquakes exceeding magnitude 5. However, these measures have had limited success, as fear outweighs financial incentives. The JNTO is intensifying efforts to promote regional destinations, hoping to divert travelers from urban hubs like Tokyo to less-affected areas like Hokkaido or Kyushu.
The manga prophecy also underscores the need for better digital literacy and misinformation management. Japan’s tourism ministry faces a delicate balancing act: maintaining transparency about seismic risks while combating viral rumors. Collaborations with social media platforms to flag false content and partnerships with regional influencers to promote Japan’s safety could help restore confidence.
The saga of The Future I Saw is a modern parable of how fiction can disrupt reality. A single manga, amplified by the digital age, has shaken Japan’s tourism industry, revealing the power of narrative in shaping human behavior. While the prophecy lacks scientific grounding, its impact highlights the challenges of managing fear in a hyper-connected world. Japan, no stranger to seismic challenges, now faces a new test: rebuilding trust in its safety and allure as a global destination. As July 2025 approaches, the nation’s response—rooted in science, resilience, and cultural richness—will determine whether it can weather this storm of superstition and emerge stronger.
