After the war ended in 1945, Ono remained in Japan when her family moved to the United States and settled in Scarsdale, New York, an affluent town 25 miles north of midtown Manhattan.
When Ono later rejoined her family, she enrolled at nearby Sarah Lawrence College.
Ono's parents approved of her college choice but she said that they disapproved of her lifestyle and chastised her for befriending people that they felt were beneath her.

In spite of her parents' disapproval, Ono loved meeting artists, poets, and others who represented the bohemian lifestyle to which she aspired.
She visited galleries and art happenings in the city; this whetted her desire to publicly display her own artistic endeavors.
American avant-garde artist, composer, and musician La Monte Young was her first important contact in the New York art world; he helped Ono start her career by using her Chambers Street loft in Tribeca as a performance space.
After Ono set a painting on fire at one performance, her mentor John Cage advised her to treat the paper with flame retardant.
After the war ended in 1945, Ono remained in Japan when her family moved to the United States and settled in Scarsdale, New York, an affluent town 25 miles north of midtown Manhattan. When Ono later rejoined her family, she enrolled at nearby Sarah Lawrence College. Ono's parents approved of her college choice but she said that they disapproved of her lifestyle and chastised her for befriending people that they felt were beneath her.
In spite of her parents' disapproval, Ono loved meeting artists, poets, and others who represented the bohemian lifestyle to which she aspired. She visited galleries and art happenings in the city; this whetted her desire to publicly display her own artistic endeavors. American avant-garde artist, composer, and musician La Monte Young was her first important contact in the New York art world; he helped Ono start her career by using her Chambers Street loft in Tribeca as a performance space. After Ono set a painting on fire at one performance, her mentor John Cage advised her to treat the paper with flame retardant.
Yoko Ono