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!
Featured
A tale of donkeys and tails
A little while ago, my Japanese friend Kei asked if I could help her with something: her ten-year-old daughter Emma had a “world cultures” day at school, and they thought it would be fun to bring along a real foreigner. Meaning: me. And since I still owe Kei my eternal gratitude for everything she helped me with when I moved to Japan (without her I wouldn’t have had electricity, running water, or food during quarantine), of course I said yes.
New (Dutch) book updates
Whenever I’m working on a book, the same thing happens: my blog turns into a quiet, dusty wasteland, with the occasional tumbleweed rolling by. My brain only has so much writing capacity, so after two hours of book work, the idea of writing a blog post on top of that… yeah, no. Today I decided to do it the other way around: blog first, then see how much book writing I can still manage afterward. Because I do want to keep you updated on how the writing process is going!
1784
“What is your date of birth?”
“Uhm, August 7, 1784!”
“Are you sure about that, ma’am?”
Two Dutchies and a Shinto wedding ceremony
Some time ago, I got an email from Ingrid. She had been following me on Instagram for a while and now wanted to hire me as a photographer. At first, that sounded like a regular job—I often do photoshoots in Japan, usually of couples, families, or friends visiting on vacation. But Ingrid had a special request: in honor of her and her husband’s wedding anniversary, the couple wanted to hold a Shinto wedding ceremony. I immediately felt a little wave of panic.
Six months married!
Wow, time flies. François and I have been married six months today! It was also a good excuse for me to finally finish editing our wedding photos. Okay, they were taken a month later, but it was starting to get a bit embarrassing.
I think I need some Tylenol
Ugh. Another day of politicizing autism and dumb takes on both sides of the isle. A few things that I would like people to understand.
Hoping for a better left
Last week, something broke inside me. The immediate trigger was the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. At this point I’m supposed to insert a disclaimer about how I don’t share his worldview, before I’m allowed to say that I found the reaction of certain people on the left extremely disappointing, and frankly quite alarming. I also have to point out that people on the right often react badly to news as well, because that’s how you’re expected to navigate these discussions. You don’t want anyone thinking you’re on the wrong side of history, of course.
A sports car, a Dutchie on a Japanese mountain and a Frenchie next to a Dutch windmill
François never really liked driving. He loves cars, sure, but the act of driving itself always made him nervous. When we visited Sakaiminato last year—a remote town entirely themed around an old anime—he was already sweating before we’d even made it out of the rental car parking lot. But that short trip through the Japanese countryside gave him enough confidence to try again. Since then, we’ve driven in Tottori, Nagasaki, Shikoku, and even once right here in the city, with a giant Ikea package I’d mistakenly ordered, crammed into the back of the rental.
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.