Airline reports fewer bookings to Japan ahead of popular July 5 prediction
If you or someone you know has plans to travel to Japan this summer and you’re even a little superstitious, there’s one date to look out for: July 5. A manga from the late 1990s has eerily predicted disasters in the past, with that upcoming date now circled in red.
The author calls it her “dream journal,” and at least one airline has reported a significant drop in bookings around that time.
‘The Future I Saw’ connects to past events
In 1999, manga artist Ryo Tatsuki published “Watashi ga Mita Mirai” (“The Future I Saw”), a book based on hundreds of her recorded dreams.
Her first notable dream came in 1991. She saw a man with a brilliant personality and striking features who would soon die. Months later, British rock icon Freddie Mercury passed away — though some consider it coincidence.
In 1995, Tatsuki recorded a dream about a violent earthquake rocking her hometown of Kobe, Japan.
On Jan. 17 that year, a 6.9 magnitude quake struck the area. According to National Geographic, it killed 6,000 people and left 45,000 homeless.
A shocking March 2011 prediction
One of her most chilling entries came in 1991, when she wrote, “a huge catastrophe will occur in March 2011.”
That prediction aligned with the 9.1 magnitude earthquake known as the “Great East Japan Earthquake” that struck on March 11, 2011. The resulting tsunami killed more than 16,000 people and left 2,500 missing.
Now, a new date from Tatsuki’s dream journal is drawing attention.
Local Japanese media reports that she added “July 5, 2025” to the front cover of her book. Tatsuki has said she’s unsure if the date connects to a quake, but believed it was significant enough to highlight.
Airlines report reduced demand
In a dream, Tatsuki reportedly saw the sea boiling south of Japan. She interpreted it as an underwater volcanic eruption that could trigger destruction.
And while there’s no scientific basis for the claim, some travelers are taking note. According to one Japanese outlet, Greater Bay Airlines has seen a sharp drop in July 5 bookings.
“We expected around 80 percent of the seats to be taken, but actual reservations came to only 40 percent,” said Hiroki Ito, general manager of Greater Bay Airlines.
Multiple outlets report the airline has reduced flights around that date due to low demand.
However, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways say they have not noticed any significant decrease in bookings.
Meanwhile, feng shui master Qi Xian Yu has also predicted a year of natural disasters, including aviation accidents, and cautioned against traveling to countries like Japan and South Korea in 2025.
“It would be a major problem if the spread of non-scientific rumors on social media had an effect on tourism,” said Yoshihiro Murai, governor of Miyagi Prefecture.
In an April 23 news conference, Gov. Murai emphasized that Japanese citizens are not fleeing the country and urged tourists to keep visiting.
Experts say predictions are unreliable
The U.S. Geological Survey and other global scientific agencies maintain that no one can accurately predict major earthquakes.
“We do not know how, and we do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future,” the agency stated.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
