The Strange Fox

Giugno 8, 2026Giugno 6, 2026 / sayuri.kirishima / Lascia un commento

As the Fuka project continued to grow, I slowly began to realize that certain themes kept returning to my mind. One of them was the fox.

In Japanese folklore, foxes have a special place. They can be mysterious, playful, wise, or even supernatural. During the earliest stages of the project, small references to foxes occasionally appeared in images and ideas, but they were little more than hints. At the time, I had not yet decided what role they would play in the story.

Eventually, however, I understood that the theme of the kitsune was something I wanted to explore.

**Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]**

The first significant encounter between Fuka and a fox became an important moment, not only within the narrative but also in my understanding of the project itself. Looking back, it feels like one of the first signs that the story wanted to move beyond simple everyday scenes and toward something deeper and more mysterious. At the time, neither the plot nor the mythology behind the project had been fully developed. Yet that encounter created questions, emotions, and possibilities that would influence future stories.

It also led to something else.

Fuka’s concern following the encounter gave me an opportunity to create one of the first genuinely warm moments between her and Tetsuya. Until then, his presence in the project was still relatively new, but this small interaction helped establish a connection between the two characters.

ちょっと考えすぎていたみたい。
新しい同僚が、少し笑わせてくれた。
こういう時間も、悪くない。

Fuka 🌸

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

The scene itself was simple, but it showed how even a small narrative event could serve multiple purposes: introducing a new theme, developing a character, and strengthening a relationship.

Sometimes an important creative realization does not arrive as a grand revelation.

Sometimes it arrives quietly, in the shape of a fox crossing the path of a young photographer.

Looking for a Story

Giugno 7, 2026Giugno 6, 2026 / sayuri.kirishima / Lascia un commento

As the first followers slowly began to arrive, I found myself asking a simple question: what story did I really want to tell?

At that stage, the Fuka project was still in its early days. Images were being published regularly, ideas were taking shape, and new characters were appearing. Yet the overall plot remained uncertain. I had several pieces of a puzzle, but I still didn’t know exactly what the final picture would look like.

Rather than forcing a direction, I decided to leave room for inspiration. Sometimes creative projects need time to grow naturally, and I hoped that sooner or later the right idea would arrive. Here is an example → [view post]

Even without a clear storyline, a few important pillars were already supporting the world of Fuka.

The first was Fuka herself. From the beginning, she was imagined as a young woman with a passion for photography, someone who enjoyed observing the world around her and capturing small moments through her camera. Photography was not simply a hobby; it was the lens through which she experienced life. Here is an example → [view post]

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

The second pillar was the friendship between Fuka, Kyoka, and Sayuri. The three characters quickly became the emotional center of the project. Their different personalities created opportunities for conversations, shared experiences, and future adventures.

Another important element was mystery. I knew that I wanted the story to contain unanswered questions and hidden truths. At the time, however, this idea was still evolving. I could feel that mystery would eventually become an important part of the narrative, but I had not yet discovered its final form.

Below is a small sequence of images related to the mystery: image 1, image 2 and image 3.

The fourth pillar was the connection with contemporary Japan. From the beginning, I wanted Fuka’s world to feel alive and connected to reality. Seasonal events, daily life, cultural traditions, and even sporting events taking place in modern Japan could become part of the narrative, helping to create a world that felt authentic and familiar.

As I continued exploring different possibilities, another piece was added to the puzzle.

A new character began appearing in some images: Tetsuya.

At first, his role was not fully defined. He was simply another presence within Fuka’s world. Over time, however, Tetsuya would become much more important. His arrival opened the door to new relationships, new emotions, and eventually a romantic dimension that would add another layer to the story.

The destination was still unclear, but the foundations were slowly taking shape.

新しい同僚と出会った日。
人と出会うのは、やっぱり少し特別。
知らない誰かが、少しずつ日常に入ってくるのが好き。

Fuka 🌸

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

Fuka and Photography

Maggio 29, 2026Maggio 28, 2026 / sayuri.kirishima / 2 commenti

One of the most important parts of Fuka’s character is her love for photography.

Even before becoming a narrative project, Fuka was imagined as someone constantly observing the world around her through images.

夜、世界がゆっくりと静まるころ、私は光と静けさの中で自分を取り戻す。
写真は、手放したくない時間のかけら。鼓動と鼓動のあいだに浮かぶ感情。
私のレンズを通すと、小さな瞬間さえ永遠になる。

📍 東京・自宅

Fuka 🌸

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

Not only people and everyday life in Tokyo, but also empty streets, distant trains, rivers at sunset, quiet cafés, mountains, rain, and city lights reflected on wet asphalt.

For this reason, urban and landscape photographs occasionally appear between the main story scenes.

Here is an example → [view post] and here is another one → [view post]

These images are not interruptions to the narrative.
They are part of the way Fuka sees the world.

Sometimes a single photograph can describe her emotions better than dialogue.
A quiet street at night, a lonely station platform, or the colors of the sky above Tokyo can become small fragments of her thoughts and memories.

雨の東京。
同じ道を歩いていても、
みんな違う夜を過ごしている。

Fuka 🌙

Photography is not just one of Fuka’s hobbies.
It is one of the ways she connects with the world around her.

Here is an example → [view post] and here is another one → [view post]

Office Work and Mysterious Images

Maggio 28, 2026Maggio 31, 2026 / sayuri.kirishima / Lascia un commento

At some point, I understood that waiting for “the right moment” was only slowing the project down. When I started sharing Fuka online, the account was still very small. There were not many followers, not many interactions, and honestly no guarantee that anyone would truly care about this quiet blue-haired girl living her everyday life in Tokyo. But I realized something important: if I wanted Fuka to feel real, she needed continuity.

So I made a simple decision. No matter the numbers, I would try to publish at least one image every day.

Not because of algorithms.
Not because I wanted fast growth.
But because daily moments are what create a life.

Work moments…

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

Here is an example → [view post] and here another one → [view post] …and a last one → [view post]

It was while working on images linked to Fuka’s work that I thought of being able to insert some mysterious aspect into the scenes. But I still didn’t have a clear idea of how to develop the story.

Nothing too obvious.
Just details hidden in the background, recurring places, strange encounters, familiar silhouettes, forgotten documents, or moments that seemed slightly out of place.

I wanted Tokyo to feel alive, but also difficult to fully understand.

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

The image of this woman would return several times in the following weeks. Here is an example → [view post] and here another one → [view post]

Looking back now, I think consistency was one of the most important choices I made for this project.
Even when only a few people were watching, continuing to post every day helped me understand who Fuka really was.

古い書類をスキャンしていたら…

こんな不思議な絵を見つけた。

意味はまだ分からないけど、
とても象徴的な感じがする。

Fuka 🔍

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

Giving Fuka a Place to Belong

Maggio 26, 2026Maggio 25, 2026 / sayuri.kirishima / Lascia un commento

Despite that first small travel sequence, I still had not completely decided what direction Fuka should take.

At the beginning, I experimented with ideas connected to contemporary Japan — moments, events, and atmospheres that could immediately feel linked to the present day.

One of the first inspirations came from topics such as the 2026 Winter Olympics (Here is an example → [view post]). I liked the idea of placing Fuka inside a recognizable modern context, almost as if she were quietly observing the changing mood of Japan through her camera and daily life.

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

For a while, I imagined the project moving in that direction:
a blend of urban exploration, current events, and fragments of contemporary Japanese culture.

Here is an example → [view post] and another one → [view post]

But something still felt incomplete.

The images were visually interesting, yet Fuka herself had not fully emerged as a person.

For that reason, I started thinking more carefully about who Fuka actually was.

I wanted her to carry something personal and emotionally real from the very beginning. That is why I decided she would come from Osaka — the same city as the woman I love. It felt natural in a way I cannot completely explain. (Here is an example → [view post]). Little by little, Fuka stopped feeling like a simple fictional character and started becoming connected to memories, emotions, and fragments of real life.

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

At the same time, I wanted her to have a profession capable of bringing her close to mystery and forgotten stories. That was how the idea of Fuka working with ancient archives and historical documents was born. An archivist moving through old papers, hidden records, abandoned photographs, and incomplete stories felt perfect for her atmosphere. Not a detective in the traditional sense, but someone quietly standing near mysteries without fully realizing it yet. (Here is an example → [view post])

In this way I was able to set up a sort of daily life for Fuka. (Here is an example → [view post])

In the end, however, I did not want Fuka to be alone. So I introduced the first supporting character: Kyoka, her longtime friend, also originally from Osaka.

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

From the beginning, I imagined Kyoka as a recurring presence during Fuka’s quieter moments — the person accompanying her during walks through the city, small trips, cafés, and ordinary afternoons. While Fuka often observes the world with curiosity and silence, Kyoka was created to bring balance: more instinctive, more intuitive, and naturally drawn toward the hidden side of things.

Their relationship was never meant to feel dramatic. What I wanted instead was the feeling of two people who have known each other for years, capable of understanding each other even during moments of silence. And slowly, through these small interactions, the world around Fuka started feeling alive. (Here is an example → [view post]).

The First Journey: Kyoto

Maggio 25, 2026Maggio 25, 2026 / sayuri.kirishima / Lascia un commento

The very first small sequence I imagined for Fuka was a quick journey through Kyoto.

At the beginning, the idea came almost by accident. I was simply thinking about how to make the Instagram profile feel a little more alive, a little more personal. Posting single images was nice, but I wanted something quieter and more connected — small moments that could feel like fragments of a real day.

That was when Kyoto appeared.

Not through a complicated plan, but through atmosphere: narrow streets, soft summer light, old cafés, train stations, silent walks, hidden corners between traditional houses. Kyoto felt like the perfect place for Fuka to take her first steps.

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

The idea was never to create a dramatic story. Instead, I wanted to build the feeling of a brief journey seen through her eyes — something delicate, slow, and almost ordinary.

A girl walking through Japan, discovering beauty in small things.

The sequence itself was extremely small: only three images.

In the first one, Fuka was leaving from Tokyo Station, carrying her camera and quietly beginning the trip. The following two images showed her in Kyoto, doing only very simple things — walking through the city and experiencing small everyday moments.

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

Nothing dramatic happened.

And maybe that was exactly the point.

I realized that Fuka did not need big events to feel alive. A train ticket, the summer light on a street in Kyoto, the feeling of being alone in an unfamiliar place for a few hours… those details were already enough to create emotion.

That tiny sequence became the real beginning of the project.

Originally posted on Instagram → [view post]

How Fuka Was Born

Maggio 22, 2026Maggio 21, 2026 / sayuri.kirishima / Lascia un commento

Initially, I didn’t have a clear idea of how the character would develop. I simply felt the desire to create an Instagram profile built around something created with artificial intelligence.

The first thing I wanted to do was give my creation a name.

The choice of both the first and last name was not accidental.

Fuka comes from Fūka Koshiba, one of my favorite Japanese actresses.

The surname Kirishima comes from a character in one of my favorite manga series: Tokyo Ghoul.

The character’s aesthetic came almost naturally. I wanted her to be a kind and slender girl, with blue hair that sometimes shifts toward violet tones.

The choice of blue came from the hair color of one of my favorite animated characters when I was a child: Hayase Nami.

The original idea was that Fuka would always wear a cute hair accessory — either a flower or a butterfly clip — gently holding her hair in place.

I still didn’t know that what I had created almost as a game was about to become something more.

And yet, I felt an incredibly strong emotion after bringing those simple images to life. It was as if a part of me had realized it was expressing something deeply important through her.