Who am I · 30 years in Entertainment R&D — told as a manga, from my 2013 book
Master Piece 1 · VR4Good — 2007–2011, Miraikan
Songs of ANAGURA
Missing Researchers & Their Remaining Devices
A permanent exhibit at Japan's National Museum of Emerging Science. A 10 × 18 m floor, tracked by 32 clustered infrared laser sensors. Eight visitors at once, wearing nothing at all. The "Anagura" that followed your feet was an avatar years before the word VTuber existed.
It ran for 12 years, the visitor-behaviour data became papers, and it won at the Japan Media Arts Festival. Visitors themselves chose which of their data stayed private.
It ran for 12 years, the visitor-behaviour data became papers, and it won at the Japan Media Arts Festival. Visitors themselves chose which of their data stayed private.
j.aicu.ai/AnaguraSongs of ANAGURA (Miraikan)Exhibit film on YouTube
Master Piece 2 · Social XR — 2018–2023, Director, GREE VR Studio Laboratory
One phone, and
anyone becomes an avatar.
I led the platform R&D behind the metaverse app REALITY —
a VTuber live-streaming service used by tens of millions of users in 43 countries and 12 languages. As an R&D team we produced at least 80 pieces of IP in five years.
Not an experience reserved for people who can buy a headset: on the device already in your hand, you live as whoever you want to be — “We can be whoever we want.” Moving VR's subject from the device to the person, as virtual beings — that became VR4.0.
a VTuber live-streaming service used by tens of millions of users in 43 countries and 12 languages. As an R&D team we produced at least 80 pieces of IP in five years.
Not an experience reserved for people who can buy a headset: on the device already in your hand, you live as whoever you want to be — “We can be whoever we want.” Moving VR's subject from the device to the person, as virtual beings — that became VR4.0.
j.aicu.ai/REALITYreality.appLive streaming without showing your face
AI4Good · Social Inclusion · Public Sector — 2023–2025
Tomoiki Metaverse Workshop
Run under Kanagawa Prefecture's "Charter for a Society Living Together". People with disabilities build their own avatar, draw digital illustration, and make "feeling stamps". In 2025 we took it on the road, visiting welfare facilities across the prefecture.
Our instructors include a pain-clinic physician and a former nurse who writes picture books. We teach communication design for pain and emotion — and the ethics of using AI — in the same room.
Our instructors include a pain-clinic physician and a former nurse who writes picture books. We teach communication design for pain and emotion — and the ethics of using AI — in the same room.
Everything behind me was made by the participants themselves. "I did my best today." "Something good happened." "I'm angry — no!"
This is the record of people moving to the side that creates.
This is the record of people moving to the side that creates.
j.aicu.ai/TomoikiWorkshop documentaryKanagawa Prefecture · Tomoiki Metaverse (YouTube)
Part 1 · The engine of UGC — Contests
A deadline
makes a creator.
A monthly magazine-cover contest. An AI manga festival with a real ceremony. An AI film contest.
Submit → get published → get awarded → the next call opens.
Submit → get published → get awarded → the next call opens.
Not a campaign. A heartbeat. That is what a UGC strategy actually is.
A live case study — YOUKAI
Kurobuchi is not a demo.
It is a working economy.
An AI-drawn school horror manga. 17 episodes plus 2 extras, 194 pages, all 653 lines of dialogue localized in Japanese, English and Chinese — the same artwork, delivered worldwide.
Kurobuchi is a certified character on api.aicu.ai: every fan generation returns a royalty to Studio YOUKAI.
Original: Dr. Shirai · Art: Karao — an implementation of Patent 7814797
Kurobuchi is a certified character on api.aicu.ai: every fan generation returns a royalty to Studio YOUKAI.
Original: Dr. Shirai · Art: Karao — an implementation of Patent 7814797
Part 3 · Opening the door — Platform & Book
More doors in for
people who can create.
api.aicu.ai — characters and voices
OpenAI-compatible: swap the base URL and key, your existing SDK just works. Keep a character's face consistent with GPT-Image2 reference images, and give them a voice with ElevenLabs presets — up to 10,000 characters per request.
curl https://api.aicu.ai/v1/audio/speech -d '{"input":"...","voice":"nao"}'
Sept 19
Creating and Moving Characters
A start guide to image and video generative AI (SB Creative, 19 September 2026). From designing a character to animating and shipping one — the entry point to UGC, on paper.
My conclusion — please build this with us
International AI Creator Award 2026
Call for Partners
10 fields · expert review + public vote (10,000-vote goal) · Ceremony 18–20 Nov 2026, INTER BEE IGNITION × DCEXPO, Makuhari Messe
Gold6,900 USDName your own corporate prize
Seed-stage nomination
Reception seats · logo placement
Seed-stage nomination
Reception seats · logo placement
Silver2,300 USDSeed-stage nomination
Reception seats · logo placement
Reception seats · logo placement
Bronze690 USDSeed-stage nomination
Reception seats · logo placement
Reception seats · logo placement
Community10 USDFor individual creators
Network + reception access
Network + reception access
j.aicu.ai/A26Enter · nominate · vote
aicu.ai/award
j.aicu.ai/MeetTalk to us about partnering
j.aicu.ai/Meetaward@aicu.ai
Partner applications close 5 October 2026