Alaska's northern lights captivating tourists from Japan

Japanese tourists are visiting Alaska this time of year to see the aurora borealis, helping to create a lucrative winter tourism market in a cold, cold state that is primarily a summer destination, and their number is growing. Japanese culture is fascinated with natural wonders, and the aurora borealis is a luminous phenomenon produced when charged solar particles strike the upper atmosphere near the North Pole, is celebrated in travel and adventure shows in Japan. Many Japanese save for years or take out loans to see the aurora. For some, it is almost a spiritual quest. "Some of them have