why…
…are there no humans in Kiku’s stories?
Tokyo is a big, busy place. So big, in fact, that people don’t notice things right under their feet. And that’s where Kiku and his friends are – hidden in plain sight. The humans of Tokyo have quite enough to do already without getting involved in the adventures of a little red fox and his friends, so in turn we tend not to see the humans going about their business either.
Tokyo Monogatari tells some of the stories from Kiku’s 秘密の世界, himitsu no sekai (secret world), which runs along beside that of the human world. When Kiku and his friends visit an event like a matsuri or shop where many humans are also present, you might catch a glimpse of their shadows.