The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki wo Kakeru Shōjo ( literally “Time-Soaring Girl”)) is a science fiction novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui. It tells the story of a high-school girl who accidentally acquires the ability to time travel.
The title is also that of a song, written by Yumi Matsutōya to be performed by Tomoyo Harada for the 1983 film, which has enjoyed considerable fame of its own.
Kazuko Yoshiyama, a third-year middle school student, is cleaning the school science lab with her classmates, Kazuo Fukamachi and Gorō Asakura, when she smells a lavender-like scent and faints. After three days, strange events transpire around Kazuko, including the burning of Gorō’s house after an earthquake. The next morning, at the exact moment of a car accident, Kazuko is transported 24 hours into the past.
She relives the day and relates her strange experience to Kazuo and Gorō. They do not believe her at first, but they are convinced when she accurately predicts the earthquake and ensuing fire. Fukushima, their science teacher, explains Kazuko’s new ability as “teleportation” and “time-leap”. To solve the riddle of her power, she must leap back four days.
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