Jaunted

Sightseeing

Catch the Northern Lights (Without Going North)

January 5, 2007 at 10:15 AM | 0 Comments

The Japanese are the experts at recreating the world within their own borders--after all, they often don't have time to leave. There's their recreation of the Netherlands at Huis Ten Bosch near Nagasaki, little Denmark in the Tivoli park at Kurashiki, and even their own copy of the Eiffel Tower in Tokyo.

You'd think that natural phenomena would be exempt from this copy-cat syndrome, but in the northern island of Hokkaido, this is definitely not the case. If you've ever wanted to see the Aurora or Northern Lights but had bad timing or bad weather when you traveled north, then head to Shiretoko, Hokkaido instead. This year from February 5 to March 21, seeing the Aurora is guaranteed: there's a laser imitation of it running every evening from 8 p.m. The wonders of all the world in just one country: what a great idea for saving on emissions.

[Photo: Eva&Kjartan]