Folktales from Japan

Folktales from Japan
Poster
ふるさと再生 日本の昔話 ふるさとめぐり 日本の昔話 (Furusato Saisei: Nippon no Mukashi Banashi Furusato Meguri: Nippon no Mukashi Banashi)
Genre	Drama, comedy, anthology series, folktale
Anime television series
Directed by	Takuo Suzuki
Produced by	Ken Fujita
Written by	various
Studio	Tomason
Original network	TV Tokyo
Original run	April 1, 2012 – March 26, 2017 (first series) – April 2, 2017 – March 25, 2018 (second series)
Episodes	258 (first series, 700 individual segments, excl. repeats) 50 (second series, 100 individual segments)

Hometown Rebuilding: Folktales from Japan (ふるさと再生（さいせい） 日本（にっぽん）の昔（むかし）ばなし, Furusato Saisei: Nippon no Mukashi Banashi) is a 258-episode long Japanese anime television series that adapts various traditional stories from Japan. Each episode of this anime comprises three approximately seven-minute tales. Produced by the Tokyo-based animation company Tomason, it was aired by TV Tokyo from April 1, 2012 to March 26, 2017.

The narration and all character voices are provided by veteran film actors Akira Emoto and Yoneko Matsukane. Voice actress and singer Shoko Nakagawa performed the initial opening and ending theme songs. Tomoyuki Okura, a member of the vocal group INSPi, wrote and composed the opening theme "Hitori no Kimi ga Umareta to sa" (You Were Born Alone), and the ending theme song "Arukou" (Let's Walk) with his fellow INSPi member Keisuke Yoshida. From episode 53 onwards, "Arukou" was replaced by "Pyon Pyon Punyo Punyo no Uta" (Song of Jump! Jump! Cheek! Cheek!) by Shindo Heart (lyrics) and Star Flower (song) from Victor Entertainment.^[1][2] From episode 208 onwards, "Hitori no Kimi ga Umareta to sa" was replaced by "Furusato Hokkorimura" by Hajime Yamanouchi (lyrics) and Kaori Mizumori (song).

A second 50-episode long series, Hometown Visiting: Folktales from Japan (ふるさとめぐり日本（にっぽん）の昔（むかし）ばなし, Furusato Meguri: Nippon no Mukashi Banashi) began airing from April 2, 2017 and it was concluded on March 25, 2018. Each episode of this anime comprises two approximately ten-minute tales instead.

An English-subtitled version was simulcasted on the streaming service Crunchyroll, which describes the main plot as following: "Like in any culture, Japanese kids grow up listening to the stories repeatedly told by their parents and grandparents. The boy born from a peach; the princess from the moon who is discovered inside a bamboo; the old man who can make a dead cherry tree blossom, etc. These short stories that teach kids to see both the dark and bright sides of life have passed traditional moral values from generation to generation."^[3]