Travel agents have reported that customers are worried about a comic book ‘prediction’ of a tsunami in Japan in July.
The comic book The Future I Saw by Japanese manga artist Ryo Tatsuki depicts cartoon versions of the illustrator and visions of her dreams.
In a 2021 edition, she ‘predicted’ that an earthquake in the seabed south of Japan on 5 July 2025 would trigger a tsunami, sending giant waves ashore.
Psychics from Japan and Hong Kong have since shared warnings on social media, with Qi Xian Yu, a popular feng shui influencer known as Master Seven urging travellers to stay away from Japan.
The story has been widely reported by others on the social media platform TikTok, with some posters claiming that the artist correctly predicted the devastating March 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
One Hong Kong travel agency, WWPKG, told local media bookings to Japan had halved during Easter and it is expecting a further decline. Another Hong Kong agency, CLS Holiday, said the prophecy had ‘caused a big change to customers’ preferences’.
A couple of UK travel agents said they had been contacted by clients concerned about the prophecy but James Mundy of Japan specialist Inside Travel Group said it hadn’t impacted bookings.
“This has certainly popped up on social media, but so far it hasn’t had an impact on our clients travelling to Japan from the UK, Austraila and US,” he said. “In fact InsideJapan has had more clients than ever before booked to travel to Japan this summer.
“Although this is a prediction from a manga artist, the Nankai megathrust quake is a very real possibility at some point as the country sits on the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ and is one of the most quake prone countries in the world. The Nanaki trough disaster projections are reviewed on a regular basis, and although nothing is guaranteed, there is an 80% chance of a megaquake happening within the next 30 years.
“Japan’s location and geological make-up is one of the reasons why this country is so special – the country has one tenth of the world’s active volcanoes with mountain scenery creating the beautiful landscape across the islands and the onsen hot spring bath culture being one of the key draws of the country. Even iconic Mt Fuji is an active volcano.
“Of course, as a tour operator, we are very aware of the risks that come with Japan. We have 24-hour customer support on the ground and thankfully, Japan is also one of the most prepared countries in the world for such events.”
Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reported last week that 70-year-old Ryo Tatsuki had urged travellers not to be ‘overly swayed’ by her dreams and ‘act appropriately based on expert opinions’, according to US news channel CNN.
In a post on X last month, Japan’s Cabinet Office Disaster Prevention Division said it is difficult to predict where and when earthquakes will occur, adding: “Please be aware that earthquakes can occur at any time and make preparations on an ongoing basis, such as checking evacuation sites and evacuation routes and securing furniture, and evacuating immediately if you feel shaking or a tsunami warning is issued.”
AloJapan.com