Discover kamishibai! Listen to stories accompanied by illustrations!

Join us with the Minneapolis Ibaraki Sister City Association (MISCA) for an evening of storytelling on Thursday, July 8th. This event will take place over Zoom from 6-7 PM.

A form of storytelling originating from Japan, kamishibai (kah-mee-she-bye) stories are told through illustrated cards. The text of the story is located on the back of the cards where it is recited by the storyteller.

Three stories in English will be offered: Momotaro, the Peach Boy, The Mother Cat, and The Bamboo Princess. This event is free for both members and non-members.

Karen Kersting will be presenting the stories. 

Karen has enjoyed the adventure and enchantment of stories for as long as she can remember. Meeting new people and having the ability to travel enlivens her.  Both collecting and sharing stories bring her great pleasure. Being outdoors, spending time with her children and grandchildren (or anybody's children), making music, or dancing to it fill her days with smiles. 

Karl Reinhardt is the current president of the Minneapolis Ibaraki Sister City Association.

Karl joined the organization in 1989 when the Soccer Club he was coaching with wanted to send a team to Ibaraki, in exchange for them sending teams the previous three years to the USA Cup Soccer Tournament in Blaine Minnesota.  The Club provided homestays for the Ibaraki team members during their time in Minnesota.  Through this exchange he developed a love for things Japanese.  Although he no longer coaches soccer, he still plays two to three times a week.  Karl is also a retired Minneapolis Public Schools Mathematics teacher.

MISCA, established in 1980, is a not-for-profit organization established to build good will, friendships and opportunities between two cities: Minneapolis and Ibaraki, Japan. Ibaraki is a city with a population of about 250,000 and is located between Osaka and Kyoto. Working together with Osaka (the third largest city in Japan) Ibaraki has developed strong biotech research and is home to such large manufacturing plants as Matsushita and Toshiba. Among the activities MISCA sponsors are cultural, educational, sporting, artistic, youth exchanges. The goal of these efforts is to provide a better understanding and appreciation of one another as we reach out to make new friends.

We would like to inform you that the Obon Festival 2021 has been officially cancelled this year again due to COVID-19. The decision was made with everyone's safety in mind since we do not feel comfortable enough yet to get together with a minimum of 10,000 people.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Obon Festival 2022! 

Meanwhile, there will be a small program of a lantern release  on the pond at Como Park this year. The date and details will be announced later on this website.

The Obon Festival, the largest Japan-related festival in Minnesota, usually takes place in Como Park every August. Modeled after summer festivals held across Japan, it features stage performances, cultural demonstrations, activities, and, of course, Japanese food.