Totto-Chan, the Little Girl at the Window: The Sequel

The long-awaited sequel to the bestselling book in Japanese history is finally here!

Over forty years ago, Japanese pop culture icon Tetsuko Kuroyanagi ended the memoir chronicling her childhood adventures at the unconventional Tomoe Gakuen with that beloved school burning down amidst the bombs of WWII. Now, inspired by contemporary events, she has returned to continue Totto’s tale! Beginning with her family’s frantic effort to escape Tokyo and the worst of the war, Kuroyanagi details how that little girl persevered through starvation and suffering to become a trailblazing actress, a champion for the deaf and children the world over, and one of the most successful entertainers in Japanese history.

Tetsuko Kuroyanagi (黒柳 徹子) is an internationally famous Japanese actress, a talk show host, a best-selling author of children book.

She founded the Totto Foundation, named for the eponymous and autobiographical protagonist of her book Totto-chan, The Little Girl at the Window. The Foundation professionally trains deaf actors, implementing Kuroyanagi's vision of bringing theater to the deaf.

In 1984, in recognition of her charitable works, Kuroyanagi was appointed to be a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, being the first person from Asia to hold this position. During the late 1980s and the 1990s, she visited many developing countries in Asia and Africa for charitable works and goodwill missions, helping children who had suffered from disasters and war as well as raising international awareness of the situations of children in poor countries. Kuroyanagi has raised more than $20 million for the UNICEF programmes that she has been involved in, through television fund-raising campaigns. She also used the royalties from her bestselling book, Totto-chan, to contribute to UNICEF.

Yuki Tejima is a Tokyo-based translator from Los Angeles. Her translations from Japanese into English include Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon and How to Hold Someone in your Heart by Mizuki Tsujimura, Someone to Watch Over You by Kumi Kimura, When the Museum is Closed by Emi Yagi, and the sequel to Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s best-selling memoir Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window 2. She runs the Book Nerd Tokyo website and social media account.