Decline in tourist numbers to Japan blamed on manga's disaster prediction
Decline in tourist numbers to Japan blamed on manga's disaster prediction
Japan has seen record numbers of visitors this year. But viral rumours of impending disaster stemming from a comic book prediction have reportedly impacted the tourism boom, with some airlines cancelling flights.
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.
If it predicted the 2011 tsunami, then as long as a catastrophic event doesn't happen tomorrow, people will do the rational thing and stop believing dreams can predict the future, right? Right?
Is that what you saw in your dreams?
Even in my best dreams, I am not that optimistic.
It's long been said that big advances in science require young people to adopt new ideas and wait for the older scientists with older ideas to die off.
That's the standard for people who dedicate their lives to truth and reason. Comparatively, we're talking about average people in this story here.
They will never change. Our only hope of salvation is trying to improve education so that the next generation to be more rational than the previous generation. Of course, we're failing at that, as well.
A friend of mine stopped her daughter going to Thailand because of this prediction. Smh