How a Manga-Fueled Earthquake Scare is Shaking Up Japan’s Tourism
Who would've expected a decades-old manga to rattle Japan’s travel scene in 2024? Yet that’s exactly what’s happening. A viral rumor—fueled by beliefs that artist Ryo Tatsuki’s comic The Future That I Saw, Complete Edition predicts a catastrophic July 5, 2025 megaquake—has sent shockwaves across the Japanese tourism sector. And while scientists scoff, the effects are real: Hong Kong vacationers are scrapping travel plans, airlines are shrinking their flight schedules, and tourism leaders are scrambling to calm nerves.
It all began with recirculated snippets from Tatsuki’s manga, which first appeared back in 1999 and stirred up buzz again after being reprinted in 2021. Fans point to the comic’s supposed accuracy in foreseeing the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. Now, superstition is colliding with social media. By mid-2024, Full-blown fear had bloomed in Hong Kong, with people sharing apocalyptic posts and warning others to avoid Japan this coming July.
Bookings Collapse and Airlines Scale Back as Fear Goes Global
The impact is anything but imaginary for business on the ground. EGL Tours, a major Hong Kong agency, reported that bookings for Japan have spiraled down by 50%. Some destinations, like Tottori, are feeling this loss even harder—locals say bookings from Hong Kong have been cut in half. And it’s not just travel agencies getting hit; the panic has reached the runways too. Greater Bay Airlines has trimmed its flights to Tokushima from three to just two weekly trips and announced further cuts on routes to Sendai in Miyagi prefecture.
Tourism data confirms the dip. In May alone, Japanese government figures showed an 11% year-on-year drop in Hong Kong visitor arrivals. Regions like Tottori, already less trafficked than Tokyo or Kyoto, are taking a hard punch. Local officials, like Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai and Tottori Governor Shinji Hirai, have both gone public to call the megaquake prophecy a fantasy, stressing that these predictions lack any scientific merit.
Still, some travelers aren’t taking any chances. "I’m not usually superstitious, but my friends are scared," said a would-be tourist who canceled a family trip. Others, though, brush off the panic entirely—one travel blogger from Hong Kong joked on social media, "If manga could tell the future, I’d be winning the lottery."
The knock-on effects aren’t just limited to Japan-bound trips. Tour agencies in Hong Kong have noticed rising interest in alternate destinations like mainland China and Southeast Asia. People aren’t ditching holidays—they’re just choosing somewhere less stressful. This shift is another blow to Japanese businesses already bruised by three pandemic-struck years.
Japan’s reputation for earthquake preparedness remains strong, with robust building codes, early-warning systems, and regular public drills. Experts stress that no manga or rumor can predict seismic events with any accuracy, and scientific earthquake forecasts are never tied to single dates. But when fear spreads faster than facts, psychological fallout is tough to contain—even for a nation as resilient as Japan.