Fukuhara received lots of media attention from the age of 3, taking part in exhibition events and television programmes. She became a pro when she was 10. The following year, she was the youngest player ever to become member of the Japanese national team. She was deemed child prodigy in Japan, as she often beat much older players. At a young age of 14 already, Fukuhara entered the quarter-finals of the 2003 WTTC. Since she was pracitising in China and with Chinese sparring partners very often from a young age, Fukuhara can speak fluent Mandarin and has a great popularity in China, too. She was the flag bearer for the Japanese team at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Fukuhara has appeared in two Japanese table tennis video games, both for the PlayStation 2.