A reissued 1999 manga foretelling catastrophe in Japan this summer has sent regional tourism into freefall, scaling back their services and travellers across Asia cancelling trips.
The manga, Watashi ga Mita Mirai (The Future I Saw) by Ryo Tatsuki, is a cartoon-style collection of 15 dreams the author claims to have had since childhood. Republished in 2021, the book has gone viral after resurfacing on social media. Some claim that 13 of Tatsuki’s 15 prophecies have already come true, including the deaths of Freddie Mercury and Princess Diana, the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Tatsuki says the dreams began when she was nine, often featuring a white-haired old man who appeared to deliver messages. While not all predictions materialised, and some occurred years later than predicted – or even before the book was published – they have sparked fascination among readers. Some hail her as a prophet, while others dismiss the predictions as vague or coincidental.
The most imminent prediction is the source of the current travel cancellations. “I dreamed of a great disaster. The waters of the Pacific Ocean south of the Japanese archipelago will rise,” Tatsuki writes, predicting a major earthquake between Japan and the Philippines in July 2025, inundating Japan with tsunami waves three times taller than those of the 2011 Tōhoku disaster.
@latestaninews The manga is titled "Watashi Ga Mita Mirai", or "The Future I See". #internetmysteries #raremangas #watashigamitamirai #urbanlegends #mysterymanga #ryotatsuki #supernaturalmangarecs ♬ original sound – LAN
The author has since sold 900,000 copies of the book, including a Chinese-language edition. She maintains that the manga is not scientifically grounded, and that “everyone should be free to make their own interpretation. But it’s important not to get overly swept up and to act based on expert advice”. Still, she adds: “I, myself, would like to take precautions such as stockpiling supplies and confirming evacuation routes… I intend to remain vigilant as we approach July 2025.”
Ryo Tatsuki, often called Japan's 'New Baba Vanga', has captured global attention for her chilling predictions, a mega Tsunami anticipated for July 2025.
— Shailendra Singh🇮🇳 (@shailenksingh) May 21, 2025
A surge in travel cancellations to Japan, Tatsuki’s latest prediction has left travellers reconsidering their plans. pic.twitter.com/v6HB9Kr5Ps
Several factors have helped the warning go viral. Tatsuki’s apparent prediction of the 2011 earthquake lends credibility in the eyes of believers. Scientifically, Japan’s position along multiple tectonic plates makes it one of the world’s most seismically active countries. Earlier this year, the government’s Earthquake Investigation Committee warned of an 80% chance of a magnitude 8 or higher quake occurring in the Nankai Trough within the next 30 years.
Cultural beliefs have also played a role. A popular feng shui master known as “Master Seven” has urged people to avoid Japan this year. In Hong Kong – where feng shui is widely followed and which ranks among Japan’s top five tourism markets with 2.3 million annual visitors – this has added to the unease. A Greater Bay Airlines official acknowledged: “In Hong Kong, many people believe in feng shui.”
The viral panic has had real-world consequences. Greater Bay Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines have cut their daily flights to Japan, while Cathay Pacific, for whom Japan is reportedly the top international market, is also expected to be affected. Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday, reported that “weekly arrival bookings for late June to early July… have nosedived by as much as 83%.” Bookings from China, Thailand, and Vietnam have also dropped sharply.
Despite efforts to calm the panic – including a statement from Japan’s Cabinet Office reminding the public that “it is difficult to predict an earthquake by specifying its date, time and location” – concerns persist. Miyagi Prefecture Governor Yoshihiro Murai called the viral claims ‘a serious issue’ and criticised the spread of ‘highly unscientific rumours’. Japan’s Meteorological Agency echoed his remarks.
Even if the prophecy never comes true, what is predictable is that airlines are expected to feel the tectonic waves of the economic impact, with cancellations and low bookings.
