INTOUCH Magazine

Shared Purpose

The Club’s Connections group helps Members learn about Japan and make a difference in the community.

“As an international community, the Club has a responsibility to build positive ties with Japanese society and contribute in meaningful ways,” says Lina Raffone, director of charities for the Club’s Connections group.

INDEPTH | CONNECTIONS

Making the Most of a Move

Tokyo: Here & Now speaker Gabriela Mandrea explains why being a trailing spouse offers a chance to reinvent yourself.

When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, a 22-year-old Gabriela Mandrea saw nothing but opportunity. After all, growing up in Communist Romania, career options were limited.

INDEPTH | CONNECTIONS

Bouncing Back

As Japan emerges from the pandemic, new Connections President Vanessa Thomas shares her aspirations for the group.

Arrriving in Tokyo from Singapore five years ago, Vanessa Thomas felt disorientated.

INDEPTH | CONNECTIONS

Cultural Calling

A longtime Connections volunteer explains how a chance conversation at the Club led to an entirely new and rewarding career.

With his son set to depart for college in the fall of 1991, American author Harriett Jackson Brown Jr jotted down more than 500 lessons and maxims he’d yet to impart to his boy.