Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (Mar 17/99) - Curiosity is in, conception is out.

That was the conclusion reached Saturday through the careful observation of a group of Japanese tourists who had made the long journey to Yellowknife -- all in the hopes of catching a glimpse of a homegrown, world-renowned phenomenon -- the aurora borealis, or northern lights.

Forget the caribou, forget the igloos, forget the great fishing, the Japanese dressed up in their by-now-familiar red parkas made it clear that it was the light show that drew them across the Pacific and North of 60. "I'm here to see the northern lights -- the northern lights only," said Miho Akita, speaking not only for herself but interpreting for her fellow visitors from Osaka.

"The northern lights are something mysterious, and it's something we want to see at least once in our lives."

Sieji "Sage" Suzuki, general manager for Canadian Ex Aurora Tours has made a business out of helping his compatriots get that chance. He said approximately 1,000 Japanese travel here each year.

"The Japanese are really, really curious," he said. "That's the No. 1 reason they come, and the No. 2 reason is that the airfare is really, really cheap for them -- about $800 return from Tokyo to Yellowknife."

Visitor Kazumi Nishimura said a Japanese newspaper ad had caught her eye while Akita said she was attracted by a television program showing a woman bursting into tears, overcome with emotion upon seeing the lights for the first time.

Shikoku Islander Tatsuo Kume, 64, said he has travelled to Africa and India photographing nature and booked an extra long stay in Yellowknife to up his chances of shooting the lights.

People go in, go out, go in, go out," Suzuki said, explaining that in between northern lights videos and lectures -- given inside a lantern-lit tent in the middle of dark lake west of the capital -- guests take strolls and turns light-spotting. Sadly, Saturday's snow storm lessened the chances of a sighting, but the guests, including five-year-old Masahiro Ishiyama, still had another night to go.

And speaking of children, what about the concept of the Japanese conceiving babies under the stars and shimmering northern lights -- was there anything behind that urban-territorial legend? Once the question sank in, a group of six tourists sat silently and gave a what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about look, and Suzuki confirmed, "It's a Canadian myth."