In short:
Japan has seen a decline in tourists, especially from China, with some citing a disaster prediction in a manga (Japanese comic book) that was first published in 1999.
The manga The Future I Saw details the dreams of the author, including one that some believe predicted Japan’s tsunami in 2011.
What’s next?
The manga’s reprint in 2021 triggered rumours a catastrophic event would occur on July 5, 2025, which has sparked concerns from some superstitious tourists about travelling to Japan.
It couldn’t possibly related to a global decline in tourism, could it? No, obviously it’s this obscure manga 1999 that’s responsible.
It’s a great time to visit Japan. The yen is really down, so the exchange rate is great.
And I hear tourism is going down, so it might be less crowded.
I live in Taiwan, so I’m pretty close to Japan. Plane ticket prices to Japan are dropping, and there are rumors also of people leaving (temporarily?) from Japan for this occasion. So yeah, some people take it seriously 😅
There’s a global decline in tourism?
I mean it’s probably not the only reason, but like this is actually a thing. Flights are being canceled over this.