The Embassy of Japan in Singapore - Japan Creative Centre (JCC) and The Japanese Association, Singapore are pleased to present Nomarin, an expert in the art of the traditional Japanese Paper Drama, Kamishibai (紙芝居) this year once again. Due to positive responses and similar to previous years, Nomarin will conduct two sessions of performances held in collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB), where guests will have the opportunity to interact and know more about Kamishibai. The storytelling sessions will be conducted in English.

Mr Shigeyuki Noma, better known by his stage name Nomarin, is a retired Japanese primary school teacher who performs Kamishibai for more than 250 times yearly, in both Japan and overseas. He has accumulated more than 3,600 performances ever since he first started Kamishibai, and was conferred the Japanese Ambassador's Commendation Award in 2015 for his significant contributions toward the promotion of cultural exchange between Japan and Singapore for past 18 years through Kamishibai.

Kamishibai is a form of visual and participatory storytelling that combines the use of hand drawn visuals with the engaging narration of a live presenter. Kami (紙) means paper and shibai (芝居) means play or drama. It has endured as a storytelling method for centuries, but it is best known for its revival in the 1920s. The Kamishibai storyteller rode from village to village on a bicycle equipped with a small stage.

He will then use two wooden clappers called Hyoshigi to announce his arrival. Children who bought candies from the storyteller got the best seats in front of the stage. Once the audiences are assembled, the storyteller will narrate several stories using a set of illustrated boards. Kamishibai is used as an educational tool by teachers in early childhood education as well as in schools and at cultural festivals.

Nearest MRT: Boon Lay
Bus Interchange: Boon Lay
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