Some Chinese tour groups depart for Japan as scheduled amid Manga doomsday predication

After a prediction that a devastating earthquake would strike Japan on Saturday recently went viral on social media, but did not come true, the Global Times has learned from several Chinese tourism operators that despite concerns and trip cancellations of some Chinese tourists, several tour groups to Japan have departed as scheduled. 

The widely discussed prophecy originated from the comic book "The Future I Saw" by Japanese manga artist Ryo Tatsuki, which predicted that on July 5, a crack will open up under the seabed between Japan and the Philippines, sending ashore waves three times as tall as those from the Tohoku earthquake,according to CNN.  

Although the prophecy did not come true, several earthquakes struck southwestern Japan on Sunday and Saturday.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) says earthquakes with estimated magnitudes of 4.8 and 5.4 occurred on the island of Akuseki-jima in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima at 2:01 pm and 2:07 pm on Sunday, but there is no tsunami threat, Japanese media outlet NHK reported on Sunday.

JMA also reported a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 off the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima at 6:29 am, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

"It is absolutely a coincidence. There is no causal connection," Ayataka Ebita of the JMA said at a press conference later on Saturday, Japan's Kyodo News reported. Ebita said current science is unable to accurately predict earthquakes, and any that appear to fit the manga's prediction are purely coincidental. "In Japan, earthquakes can happen at any time. Please be prepared always," he added. 

On Saturday, the topic surged to the top of trending searches on Chinese social media. "Nothing happened in Japan" became the No.1 trending topic on Chinese X-like platform Weibo. 

The Global Times learned on Sunday from Qunar, a major Chinese online travel agency, that it had previously received questions from tourists regarding this issue and that there had been some trip cancellations. Staff from China Youth Travel Service (CYTS) Aoyou told the Global Times on Sunday that their tour groups to Japan had departed as scheduled, as they hadn't received any official notifications, adding that they offer positive guidance to tourists' inquiries based on official information.

A Chinese national surnamed Ma, who operates a hot spring hotel and provides chartered tour services in Japan's Izu, told the Global Times on Sunday that his main customers are Chinese tourists during weekdays and the summer holidays, and that there were very few customers before July 5. "But from today onwards, the number of visitors will increase, according to bookings. Queuing is now necessary at Izu's popular destination, Mount Omuro, which was previously not required. And my hotel is almost fully booked after July 16," Ma said.

Despite viral rumors of an impending disaster, hk01 reported that three tour groups under Hong Kong-based travel agency EGL Tours had departed on Saturday, heading respectively to Japan's Hokkaido, Kyushu and Osaka.

A tourist heading to Kyushu said that the tour fee was one-third cheaper than before, adding that they had made disaster prevention preparations in advance, including bringing some food and other necessities, per hk01.

Steve Huen of EGL Tours said that due to the earthquake prediction, the number of tour groups to Japan in July has dropped from an average of seven to 10 groups per day to just three groups on Saturday. And the number of people per group has also declined from an average of 20 to 30 people to just 12 people on Saturday, and the prices of the tour groups have significantly decreased.

But he believes that the worst period has passed and expects the number of people joining tours to Japan to rebound as early as August, with a significant recovery anticipated by the end of September to October, close to the autumn foliage season.