Upon the most shameful of racial atrocities in the United States was the Japanese American incarceration during World War II, where 120,000 Japanese Americans – citizens and non-citizens of all ages – were placed in internment camps. Densho, a non-profit based in Seattle, is a Japanese American Legacy Project dedicated to teaching history and promoting equality.

November 9th, 2006, was Densho’s Fifth Annual Sushi & Sake Festival at the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle. With a ticket price of $75, event goers were invited to participate in an all-you-can-event where all of the proceeds would go to Densho as fundraisers. Hundreds of people appeared at the event, including Seattle’s Mayor Greg Nickels.

With the amount of bustling individuals flowing about, there was never a dull moment at the Sushi & Sake Festival. Live music and art demonstrations were available, as well as booths manned by Seattle-based and Japanese-inspired artists and organizations. One notable booth displayed plans for the Issei Memorial, a memorial dedication at the site of a former internment camp. With four colorfully drafted architectural concept boards on display, with each representing a different idea, visitors could easily see and vote on which features they felt would be most important to include. It was a good way to get the community actively involved in the issues of Japanese Americans.

Another room was dedicated to auctions. Many items, from airplane tickets to Tokyo to art pieces, were available for guests to bid on. Again, all of the proceeds from these auctions went straight to Densho.

The restaurants that participated in this year’s Sushi & Sake Festival included many of the top sushi restaurants in the Puget Sound Area, including Chiso in Fremont, Mashiko in West Seattle, and Nijo in downtown Seattle. Also participating were caterers, such as Kris Dews of Sook Enterprises, and vendors Maeda-En and SEASIA.

But what is sushi without an assortment of drinks for the ever hard-to-satisfy palate? Beer was supplied by Asahi, Rogue Ales, and Sapporo, while there were seven different companies serving unique sakes. Even the rarely heard of sake martinis were on hand. Green tea varieties were supplied by Koots Green Tea, and Mishima Foods gave out free, take home packets of miso soup.

For this event, Densho had truly prepared for every type of sushi eater, from the seasoned to the amateur. Beginners could sample a healthy variety of rolls – a few of which were vegetarian. Seasoned sushi eaters could have been disappointed with some of the available nigiri selections. Due to the buffet-style nature of the event, chefs were unfortunately generally limited to nigiri and maki selections. More complicated dishes would have been decidedly more difficult to serve.

The only complaint I can muster about the event is that unless you’re a VIP member or are lucky enough to grab one of the few available mini tables, eating is not an easy task. Because of the lack of seating and the – once again – buffet-style qualities of the event, there wasn’t much time for relaxation, and it made the entire sushi experience seem much more frenzied than it generally is. Now, if everyone who went to the Sushi and Sake Festival were put in a VIP room with tables and servers – then this event would be absolutely perfect.