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Yellowknife is the provincial capital of the Northwest Territories, located in the far north of Canada with more than half its area in the Arctic Circle. The city fringes the lakeside of Great Slave Lake, the source of the Mackenzie River that flows 4250 kilometers to the sea. The culture is unique with a mix of European settlers and several indigenous groups such as the Inuit, and the city has eight official languages. Yellowknife was developed as a mining city after the gold rush in the 1930's and despite being three times the size of Japan, the population of the Northwest Territories is only about 40,000. Nearly half of the population of the province live in Yellowknife which is well known for being one of the world's premier places to watch the entrancing aurora. There are many visitors from Japan every year. Yellowknife is located at latitude 62.27 degrees north and has a subarctic temperate climate. Average temperatures in midwinter fall to minus 28 degrees Celsius although the dry air prevents the chill factor from dropping too low; it is often comfortable to walk outside with jeans and a jacket. However, when watching the aurora late at night the chill factor brings temperatures down to minus 40 - 50 degrees and protection from the cold such as thick-soled boots and arctic-rated down jackets is essential. Reversely, in summer, when the sun does not go down until late at night, temperatures can rise to 30 degrees and a stay here is very comfortable. Vancouver is the first port of call when flying from Japan. Air Canada offer daily direct flights from Narita International Airport (Chiba) and Kansai International Airport and JAL offer daily direct flights from Narita. (The outward journey takes about nine hours and the homeward journey about ten hours.) From the beginning of December 2007 to the end of April, Air Canada has direct flights daily from Vancouver to Yellowknife. As all of Air Canada’s direct flights to Vancouver are operated jointly with ANA, both company names are indicated on the flight information. Vancouver can also be entered via the USA with United Airlines and Northwest. There are two city bus routes connecting Downtown, New Town and Old Town, the three main areas of the city. The bus fare is $2.5 (Canadian dollars). However, note that the buses do not run on Sundays and holidays. Also note that on Saturdays and in the summer season, these routes are combined. As there is no bus transportation from the airport to the city center, taxis are the main means of transport. Take a taxi from the front of the airport building or call a taxi from a toll-free phone in the airport. The standard price of a taxi to the city center is about $15.