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.

Why Japan? What makes it so appealing to someone with autism? Hint: it’s not the anime. And isn’t Tokyo way too busy and chaotic for an autistic person? Nope. Has Toeps found her ikigai yet? “Ugh, that’s for old people!”

If you’re looking for profound life lessons based on a random Japanese word that westerners have imbued with more significance than most Japanese people do, you won’t find them in this book. No juicy descriptions of “strange” subcultures, either, because despite what you see on TV, most people in Japan are totally normal. So what is this book about? It’s the inspiring story of an autistic woman who learns to deal with her own challenges (well, most of them anyway). With warmth and humor, she describes what it’s like to move halfway around the world, to a place where certain things are actually a bit easier for autistic folks. Except for revenue stamps. And bank accounts. And faxes.

This book is a translation of the Dutch book Deze autist ging naar Japan – en wat er toen gebeurde zal je verbazen. The estimated release date will be end of January 2024. This pre-order campaign is only for signed books. If you want an unsigned book, it’s faster and cheaper to just purchase it at your local book store, or Amazon, etc. once it’s released. But if you want to support me, ordering a signed version would be great! If you want to pre-order the Kindle e-book, you can do that here. (Also super helpful!)