1.
paper theater, kamishibai
A form of storytelling using illustrated cards that are displayed one at a time in a small wooden stage, while the narrator tells the story.
紙芝居を読む。
To perform a kamishibai.
図書館で紙芝居の読み聞かせがある。
There is a kamishibai reading at the library.
昔は紙芝居のおじさんが公園に来て、子どもたちにお菓子を売りながら物語を聞かせてくれた。
In the old days, a kamishibai man would come to the park, selling sweets to the children while telling them stories.
CULTURAL NOTES:
Kamishibai was a popular form of street entertainment in Japan from the 1930s through the 1950s. A performer would travel by bicycle, set up a small wooden stage on the back, and tell stories using illustrated cards. Children would gather to watch, buying candy from the performer. Though street kamishibai has largely disappeared, it is still used in libraries, schools, and kindergartens as an educational tool.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 紙芝居を演じる: to perform kamishibai
- 紙芝居を読む: to read/narrate kamishibai
- 紙芝居屋: kamishibai performer