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She was born
Kuroyanagi was born in Nogisaka, Tokyo in 1933. -
She became famous
After voicing Lady Penelope in the Thunderbirds TV series[citation needed], Kuroyanagi first became well known in 1975 when she established her afternoon television program "Tetsuko's Room" (Tetsuko no Heya), which was the first talk show on Japanese television. -
She wrote Totto-chan
1981 marked a turning point in her career, as Kuroyanagi published her children book Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window, in which Kuroyanagi wrote about the values of the unconventional education that she received at Tomoe Gakuen elementary school during World War II, and her teacher Sosaku Kobayashi. The book is considered her childhood memoir, and upon release, it became the bestselling book in Japanese history -
Totto-chan was translated in English
The book was first translated to English in 1984 by Dorothy Britton, and it was published in more than 30 countries. -
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi doing her charity work
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.[3] 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. -
Her visit to Angola
Her visit to Angola in 1989 was the first recorded VIP visit from Japan to this country, and marked a milestone for the diplomatic relation between Japan and Angola.[11] Kuroyanagi has raised more than $20 million for the UNICEF programmes that she has been involved in, through television fund-raising campaigns.
