nhk world's yuji osawa reports. >> reporter: a large fire lit up hokone on sunday. they have a history of almost 100 years, but this year this traditional event was nearly canceled. an increase of volcanic activity since may has resulted in a sharp drop in the number of visitors. yoichi tamura runs a local restaurant and is a member of the tourism association. he felt he needed to help his hometown, so he's left his kitchen and is trying to win back visitors. >> translator:e have to do something. we decided to eliminate the concerns about the volcano in this difficult situation one by one. >> reporter: tamura pinned his hopes on the annual bonfire as a way to show tourists the area is safe to visit. but some fellow members of the tourism association voiced concerns. >> translator: we should think about the risks involved if visitors gather for an outdoor event. >> translator: i don't want to give the impression that we'll cancel the event because it's dangerous to visit. >> reporter: tamura managed to persuade them into holding the bonfire after a thorough review of

yuji osawa, nhk world. >>> officials at japan's space agency say a cargo ship that was launched on wednesday has encountered no problems. the unmanned aircraft is going bringing supplies to the space station. it was lifted into space on a japanese h2b rocket. engineers say the craft separated 15 minutes later when it was nearly 300 kilometers above the earth and entered a planned course. the president of japan aerospace exploration agency said the team succeeded in carrying out the launch despite pressure. >> translator: the operation has been successful so far. we withstood huge pressure and took the first step. i think this success will attract more attention from foreign countries to japanese technology. >> the cargo ship is expected to reach the space station on monday. the mission is an important reminder of the role japan is playing in the operation of the international space station. >> reporter: it takes its name from the japanese word for stork, a bird that is said to bring babies and other precious things. and now, another important journey for the spacecraft. it's the fifth missio