shadow sending; staring at one's shadow then at the sky to see an afterimage
A children's game or activity where you stare at your shadow on the ground for a while, then look up at the sky to see a faint afterimage of the shadow. Known from the story 'ちいちゃんのかげおくり'.
影送りをして遊んだ。
We played shadow sending.
ちいちゃんは、お父さんと一緒に影送りをした。
Chii-chan did shadow sending with her father.
Standard kanji spelling for this word.
Kana spelling is sometimes used, especially in children's contexts or when the kanji are considered difficult.
Compound of 影 (kage, 'shadow') and 送り (okuri, 'sending'), literally 'shadow sending'. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a traditional children's pastime.