Press release: Autistic woman writes book about her move to Japan

Tokyo – February 28, 2024

Book cover by ANO Studio

About the book

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.

This Autistic Girl Went to Japan is the inspiring story of a young woman who moved halfway around the world in pursuit of happiness. With humor and remarkable candor, Bianca describes the agonizing uncertainty of trying to get a visa during a pandemic, slogging through endless red tape, and the loneliness that comes with being a stranger in a strange land. Oh, and how she wound up evicting a bat from her new apartment, attending a Pokémon GO event with a bunch of middle-aged women, and discovering the best thrift store in all of Tokyo. Along the way, she explains why she feels so at home in Japan, where things are often a bit easier for autistic folks. Well, except for revenue stamps. And opening a bank account. And faxes.

Info & Contact

Release date ebook: February 29, 2024
Release date print: March 5, 2024
ISBN ebook: 9789083229829
ISBN print: 9789083229850
Number of pages: 224

This book is a translation of the Dutch version, Deze autist ging naar Japan, released by Blossom Books in September 2023.

For more information, interview requests and review copies, please contact Olga Mazlina at olga@toeps.nl

Hi-res images can be downloaded here. Please always credit photographs.