Takeshi Tsuruno on Stage! Sharing the Charm of Folktales Through Animation Screenings and Cross-Disciplinary Sessions: 'Sea Folktale Forum 2026' Held

The Japan Folktale Association held the 'Sea Folktale Forum 2026' at Kanda Myojin Hall on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The purpose was to unveil sea folktale animations produced in FY2025 and create new value by combining folktales with music, haiku, and academic studies.

This event was implemented as part of the 'Nippon Foundation Ocean and Japan Project', where people connect through the ocean, in order to pass on a rich and beautiful ocean to the next generation.

[Part 1] Sea Folktale Animation Screening
In the first part during the morning, many children attended and experienced the world of folktales through animation screenings and interactive workshops.

Viewing tales of the sea from across the country through animation
From the latest works produced in FY2025, tales of the sea from all over the country were screened, including "The Whale and the Wild Boar" (Muroto City, Kochi Prefecture) and "Orihime's Mound" (Oarai Town, Ibaraki Prefecture). Before the screening, Director Shinnosuke Numata took the stage. Mentioning the upcoming voice acting experience, he spoke to the children about his wishes for the project: "There are many old tales of the sea left in Japan. I would be happy if you could learn through animation how people from long before your grandparents interacted with the sea. We have created over 100 works so far, and almost 1,000 characters have been voiced by just two voice actors. I want you to pay attention to how the voice actors differentiate their performances."

Learn from professional voice actors! Exciting voice acting experience
After the screening, an after-recording experience was held with voice actors Go Shinomiya and Yasuyo Tomita as instructors. The children challenged themselves with an authentic experience, saying lines in front of microphones matched to the actual animation footage. Receiving advice from professionals and trying their best to get into character, the venue was filled with smiles. Warm applause followed comments from participants such as "It was hard, but I could do it once I tried!" and "I was nervous, but it was fun."

[Part 2] Special Session - Passing on Folktales