March 21 marks 82 years since the U.S. government forced Japanese Americans into concentration camps following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. When released, they found refuge and stability in an unlikely place: Seattle hotels. Some of those hotels that played roles in that story are still standing today. The Panama Hotel watches over Seattle's Nihonmachi, or Japantown. Jan Johnson maintains the 102 rooms inside. The hotel had a lot of Japanese influence, as the owners before Johnson were Mr. and Mrs. Takashi Hori. The hotel was also built by the first Japanese American architect in Seattle, Sabro Ozasa. However, the basement of the Panama holds secrets only a few know about. The Panama Hotel's basement is home to items left by Japanese Americans who were imprisoned following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. READ MORE: https://www.king5.com/article/news/community/facing-race/seattle-hotel-basement-contains-remnants-painful-past-japanese-americans/281-4d318225-5250-4772-8626-6d98fa79edf2