Bhubaneswar: Children and youth responded enthusiastically to the Japanese Kamishibai storytelling and the Anime Cosplay workshop at the Bakul Library on the final day of the Festival of Japan here.
The Festival that was inaugurated by the Consul General of Japan, Mr Ishikawa Yoshihiso yesterday had a major attraction for young people in the form of the Anime Cosplay (Costume Play) Workshop.
Megumi Shimada from the Japanese Consulate attended the festival on the final day, and said, she was delighted with the response to the Festival of Japan and the interest in young Odias to Farzaan Ali, who organizes the very popular Anime festival, Animetro in Bhubaneswar used the occasion to declare the dates of this year’s festival, 11-12 October, 2025.
He explained Cosplay in which Anime fans love to dress up as their favourite Anime characters is a very important feature of popular culture of Japan. Cosplay had acquired great popularity among Anime fans in Odisha as well.
The Anime Cosplay workshop conducted by Ananya Mishra and Biswapratik was to help the fans create stunning costumes by themselves from the wigs to props so that their favourite anime characters could come to life.
Ananya Mishra demonstrated how to repurpose old wigs and expired makeup products, such as blush, to give them a new life. She shared valuable tips about protecting both natural and wig hair, using affordable colours. From pre- to post-coloring care and styling hacks, participants learned practical ways to transform wigs into vibrant cosplay essentials.
Following this, Biswa led the Prop Making session, highlighting the versatility of EVA foam. Lightweight, flexible, and inexpensive, EVA foam was a staple in Cosplay, he said. Participants explored how it can be cut, shaped with heat, and assembled into swords, armour, helmets, and more. With sealing and painting, these props can convincingly mimic metal, wood, or other textures—making it an indispensable material for both beginners and advanced Cosplayers.
The Festival of Japan ended with wonderful storytelling by Bidyut Lata and Ankita Pattanaik, both of whom looked the part dressed up in the Japanese Kimono and told stories in the traditional Japanese style of Kamishibai or paper theatre. Using the Kamishibai or a wooden box in which there were illustrated pages, which they turned as they told the story. It was a wonderful instance of tandem storytelling where two storytellers told the entire story between them. Mixi ng Japanese songs with the bilingual storytelling in Odia and English, they told a popular Japanese tale, an origin myth of How the Elephant Got its Long Trunk.
