In 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio visited Japan on their honeymoon. My father was asked to greet them, and he asked me if I would like to meet them. I was given a bouquet of flowers to present to Marilyn.
She smiled at me and autographed a photo, “To Norma,” which is my middle name. I was thrilled to find that we shared a name–which was a coincidence, although my father had long been a fan!
Though my father’s anger at the U.S. government for its treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII never faded, neither did his love of all things American. He encouraged me to study in the United States, believing its educational system was superior.
And every year until his death in 2011, he wrote a Bank of America check to mail-order See’s candy for friends and relatives during the holiday season.
All images in this story are courtesy of Kyoko Norma Nozaki.
Sources:
- Interview with Kyoko Nozaki in Kyoto, April 2025, conducted by Ruth Sasaki.
- Nozaki, Kyoko Norma. Bilingual Complex: Collection of Essays and Notes Featuring English Haiku. 2019.
- Ibuki, Norm. “Kyoko Norma Nozaki Sensei: A Minority of Minorities,” DIscover Nikkei, May 12, 2022. Accessed 5/25/2025.
About the contributor: Kyoko Norma Nozaki is a Professor Emeritus, Department of Intercultural Studies, at Kyoto Sangyo University. She is a distinguished writer and lecturer specializing in Japanese American history during WWII. Kyoko was born in Oakland, CA in 1939. She attended high school in San Jose, CA and graduated in 1962 from U.C. Berkeley, where she met her husband, Mitsuhiro. She has two daughters, Aoi and Akané, and lives with her husband in Kyoto.
© 2025, Kyoko Norma Nozaki. All rights reserved.