A Japanese comic book's warning of a "real catastrophe" and similar predictions from feng shui experts and psychics have led to many putting their trips to Japan on hold.
The prediction has left travellers scared, and they have started cancelling their vacations to Japan, despite scientists claiming there was no accurate way to anticipate earthquakes.
Doomsday predictions are nothing new to Japan, but the latest wave of earthquake-related "predictions" led more superstitious tourists to postpone or cancel their vacations, especially in East Asia, CNN reported.
The heart of the current hysteria is the Japanese manga 'The Future I Saw,' which was first published in 1999 by Japanese artist Ryo Tatsuki.
The cartoon made eerie allusions to a significant tragedy that occurred in March 2011-the same month that Japan's northern Tohoku region was ravaged by a devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Similar predictions have been published at the same time by psychics from Hong Kong and Japan, which generated some false reports online and resulted in a rush of cancellations of trip plans from places in the region.
Tatsuki gained a cult following as a result of that coincidence, and her "complete version" 2021 edition of the book forewarns of another tremendous earthquake that is expected to occur in July 2025, as per CNN.
According to the updated version of 'The Future I Saw,' "a crack will open up under the seabed between Japan and the Philippines" on July 5, causing waves "three times as tall" as those from the 2011 tragedy.
Although Japanese seismologists maintain it is nearly impossible to anticipate earthquakes with any degree of accuracy, the prospect of a "big one" has apparently caused anxiety among several prospective tourists.
In April, a Japanese self-proclaimed clairvoyant predicted that the Tokyo Bay Area would see a huge earthquake on April 26, but the day passed without tragedy.
The prediction gained a lot of traction, particularly on Chinese social media.
Master Seven, a TV personality and feng shui expert in Hong Kong, reiterated similar cautions, telling people to stay away from Japan beginning in April.
As a result, there is a noticeable decline in reservations and travel to Japan. They dropped by half during the Easter holiday and are predicted to continue to decline.
CN Yuen, managing director of Hong Kong travel agency WWPKG, claimed the fear has been "ingrained," and agents are being told by travellers that "they want to hold off their trip for now."
