Completing remedial studies at Northwestern, Asa begain attending Barnard College at Columbia when the Great Kanto earthquake struck Tokyo in 1923. Asa's family's business suffered from the resulting economic downturn and was unable to afford the cost of tuition. Asa, determined to complete her studies, decided to sell her kimono and jewelry. Luckily, she consulted with a trusted friend who introduced her to a collector of Japanese art who would lead to an introduction to Bashford Dean of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dean was impressed by Asa's knowledge of traditional Japanese arts, and hired Asa to identify and catalog their growing collection in Japanese Art.