Hi, I’m Toeps!
WordPress developer, sometimes photographer and author of But you don’t look autistic at all (also in Dutch, German and Italian), children’s book Ik ben autastisch! (I’m autastic!) and This autistic girl went to Japan (in Dutch: Deze autist ging naar Japan), about my recent move to Japan.
I love Polaroid camera’s, trains, Disney parks and vintage clothes. I live in Tokyo, Japan.
New: This autistic girl went to Japan
When Bianca Toeps first set foot in Japan in 2008, she just knew: “I’m going to live here someday.” Flash forward 15 years, and she’s finally traded her tiny apartment in the Netherlands for an even tinier one in Tokyo. But it wasn’t always easy. Between that first visit and now, Toeps was diagnosed with autism at age 26, suffered several burnouts, and switched careers a time or two (or three) before becoming a web developer and a best-selling author. And just when she was all set for the big move, the pandemic derailed everything.
Read more about my new book, This autistic girl went to Japan – And you won’t believe what happened next on the product page!
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Life isn’t always that autastic
“You sleep a few days a week in your little office in Hachioji, right?”
– “Yeah, it works great for us!”
This is the story I tell in interviews, to friends, but also to myself. I give François space to watch his movies and make noise, while I decompress and calm down. So everything was going great. Right?
Every day I’m hustlin’
I’d be such a great influencer if I turned everything I’m about to share in this blog into separate posts. “Autastisch Leven audiobook now available!” “Apartment for sale!” But nope, it’s another chaotic, thrown-together mess à la Toeps, because after just a week and a half there’s already way too much to tell.
Orenji
Did you all have a lovely King’s Day? I did! Yes, even in Japan, Wim-Lex’s birthday was celebrated. On Saturday, I visited the Dutch café in Kokubunji for an evening with Dutchies, faux Dutchies, kapsalon, and bitterballen. On Sunday, I went out with a group of girls to take photos. Orange photos, that is…
Switchings
I always find switching gears difficult. So when I returned to Japan after seven weeks in the Netherlands, I already knew I was going to struggle for a while. I had been doing so well in the Netherlands.
Come together
Over the past two weeks, you gradually heard less from me on social media. My outfits became duller, my hair lost its shine, and my cooking skills were regularly replaced by microwave meals. In short: I was tired. But there was a good reason for that…
My new book Autastisch leven has officially launched!
Hooray, my new book Autastisch leven was officially released yesterday! The book launch last night at bookstore Broese in Utrecht was a big success, but before that…
’tismthedamnweek
What a week. Or actually two, since it’s been a while since my last post on this blog. It was on my to-do list almost every day: write a blog. But other things kept taking priority. Book-related things, mostly.
Autistics should just stay home?
Imagine you’re autistic and you want to go to the Efteling (a famous Dutch theme park). Yes, it can be pretty intense sensory-wise, but your family is going too, and you genuinely love the Efteling. Fortunately, there are facilities you can make use of. For example, you don’t have to stand in long zigzag queues but can wait elsewhere instead. The Efteling also offers a €2 discount on your ticket, or €5 off per month on a subscription. Nice! That could have been the end of this blog. But this is the internet, so of course people are upset.
Matsumoto, then and now
It was such a good idea to go a day early. Look, I’m not great at trips. I need time to adjust, prefer traveling alone, get overstimulated quickly, and sometimes turn into a bit of a monster because of it. Going a day earlier helps prevent most of that. I can arrive at my own pace, do my thing, rest – and the next day I’m just as fresh and cheerful as François, who (what a sweetheart!) got up at 6:30 that morning and then spent three hours on the train from Kawasaki to Matsumoto.
Japan 101 – Practical advice
People regularly ask me whether I have any Japan tips – for autistic people, but also in general. That’s why I created this blog series, to help you head off on your trip well prepared. This installment focuses on practical matters: luggage, mobile internet, the language, and money.
Back to the RSS
Why are we all on social media when the best platform for writing is your own? I gave my RSS feed a more prominent place and dusted off my RSS reader.