This workshop focuses on methanol (CH₃OH), the most abundant and fundamental saturated organic molecule in the Universe, and aims to stimulate new research developments by bridging molecular science, astrochemistry, and astrophysics across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Methanol is a key precursor of interstellar complex-organic molecules (iCOMs) and plays a central role in understanding molecular evolution in space. Studies of its formation on icy grain surfaces, isotopic fractionation, and deuterium enrichment provide important diagnostics of molecular formation histories, chemical evolution, and the inheritance of material into forming planetary systems. Methanol is also a representative molecule exhibiting non-LTE excitation and maser emission due to its complex rotational energy level structure, and serves as a powerful tracer of kinematics and distance in high-mass star-forming regions. VLBI observations of methanol masers with arrays such as VERA, JVN, and EAVN play a major role in revealing the three-dimensional structure of the Galaxy and the dynamical properties of star-forming regions.

Against this background, recent years have seen rapid progress in laboratory ice chemistry experiments, high-precision spectroscopy, and JWST observations of interstellar ices in star-forming environments, leading to a dramatic expansion of knowledge related to methanol. This workshop will bring together researchers in observations, laboratory experiments, spectroscopy, theory, and modeling to discuss the following themes:

• Formation and reaction processes of methanol in ices and on ice surfaces

• Gas-phase methanol spectroscopy, excitation, chemistry, and abundance analysis

• Tracing astrophysical phenomena through masers and excitation diagnostics

• Chemical evolution diagnostics using isotopic ratios

• Comparative studies of related molecules (water, OH, iCOMs, and related species)

During the workshop period (weekend), visits to the VERA Ishigaki Station and the Ishigaki Astronomical Observatory are also planned. With the increasing prevalence of remote observing, opportunities for young researchers to interact directly with observational facilities have become limited. These visits will therefore provide a chance to see the instruments and discuss how observational data are obtained. 

Program 

Link to the final program (Last update on 2026/05/18) 

Link to the final program pdf file (Last update on 2026/05/18)

May 14 (Thu) 12:30-17:00 Registration

                    13:00-17:20 Science session

May 15 (Fri) 10:00-12:15 Science session

 14:15-15:00 Science Session

 15:00-18:00 Excursion: guided tour to VERA Ishigaki-jima station (Photo 1)

May 16 (Sat) 10:00-17:00 Hands on discussion for collaboration

May 17 (Sun) Tour to Ishigakijima Astronomical Observatory upon request

May 18 (Mon) 10:00-17:15 Science session  (Photo 2)

   18:00-20:00 Banquet

May 19 (Tue) 10:00-17:00 Science session

May 20 (Wed) 09:20-12:00 Science session

                        14:30-16:30 Hands on discussion for collaboration
 

Invited Speakers

Giseon Baek (Seoul National University)

Ross Burns (Ibaraki Univ.)

Kenji Furuya (RIKEN)

Hiroshi Hidaka (Hokkaido Univ.)

Atsuki Ishibashi (Univ. of Tokyo)

Sheng-Yuan Liu (ASIAA)

Kazuhito Motogi (Yamaguchi Univ.)

Nadia Murillo (UNAM)

Yoichi Nakai (RIKEN)

Yoshinori Yonekura (Ibaraki Univ.).

Registration is closed on April 5 (Sun), 2026. 

All the participants (except Master’s students) are expected to give a talk. No poster session planed.  Because the workshop aims to maintain an interactive atmosphere, the number of participants is limited (<50). If the number of applicants exceeds the capacity, selection may be made based on the proposed presentation topics.

Excursion

We plan to organize hands on tutorial (guided tour) to VERA Ishigaki-jima station of NAOJ on May 15 (Fri) afternoon. For the excursion, we will visit the VERA station by taxi and/or rental car. It will take about 20-30 minutes by car between the venue to the VERA station. We may ask participants with rental cars whether they could share rides with others if possible. The transportation cost from/to VERA Ishigaki-jima station will be 1,500 yen/person, and it will be paid in cash at the registration desk. We appreciate your cooperation. Further details will be announced later. 

VERA: https://www.miz.nao.ac.jp/veraserver/index-e.html

Due to technical problems, the official excursion to the Ishigakijima Astronomical Observatory of NAOJ is canceled. However, please contact the LOC at the registration desk if you still have interest to visit the Ishigakijima Astronomical Observatory during your stay. 

Ishigakijima Astronomical Observatory: https://murikabushi.jp/

Banquet

Conference dinner will be held on May 18 (Mon) 18:00-20:00 JST at a local Okinawa style bar "あじまー商店" (Ajima-shoten). It is located in the central part of the downtown Ishigaki, about a 7-minute walk from the venue. The fee will be 5,500 yen/person including drinks. It is NOT included in the conference fee. If you join, please pay the fee in cash to the LOC Chair at the registration desk. Please note that we may ask you to cover the cost in case of late cancellation or no-show.  

Coffee breaks

Coffee, tea, and snack will be provided outside of the meeting room during some breaks. Please note that eating and drinking are strictly prohibited inside the meeting room. 

Lunch

Lunch is NOT included in the conference fee. Please note that eating and drinking are strictly prohibited inside the meeting room. Thus, we ask the participants to eat lunch outside of the meeting venue. There are a lot of local restaurants within walking distance. 

Registration fee

The venue cost will be covered by the organizers. However, please note that we ask participants to pay for transportation for the excursion and banquet as described above. The fee should be paid in cash to the LOC Chair. A receipt will be provided. 

Venue: Ohama Nobumoto Memorial Hall

https://ohamanobumoto.net/access/

• The meeting room will open at 9:00 every morning.

• Free wifi will be available in the meeting room, but it has a limited bandwidth. If you require high-speed or large data transfers, please arrange your own wifi connection.

• Parking is limited to approximately 15 cars. If it is fully occupied, please use nearby parking lots.

• Please note that eating and drinking are strictly prohibited inside the meeting room.

• Please take dispose of any trash generated with you when you leave.

• Please do not contact directly with the Ohama Nobumoto Memorial Hall. 

Access to the site from Ishigaki Airport

It takes 40 minutes by bus (500-540 yen) or 30 minutes by rental car/taxi (about 3,000-3,500 yen) between the airport and downtown Ishigaki city where hotels and workshop venue are located. See Ishigaki Airport website for more details. 

Ishigaki Airport: https://www.ishigaki-airport.co.jp/en/index.html

From the Ishigaki Airport, we will ask the participants to arrange your own transportation. To the Ishigaki Airport from the meeting venue, we may be able to arrange for information about taxi rides to be shared at the venue. 

Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC)

Tetsuya Hama (The Univ. of Tokyo)

Tomoya Hirota (NAOJ)

Nami Sakai (Chair, RIKEN)

Takashi Shimonishi (Niigata Univ.)

Naoki Watanabe (Hokkaido Univ.)

Yoshimasa Watanabe (Shibaura Univ.)

Local Organizing Committee (LOC)

Tomoya Hirota (Chair, NAOJ)

Atsushi Ishibashi (The Univ. of Tokyo)

Takahiro Oyama (RIKEN)

Nami Sakai (RIKEN)

WS will be organized with cooperation from the VERA Ishigaki Station of the Mizusawa VLBI Observatory. Please do not directly contact the VERA Ishigaki Station, Ishigaki-jima Astronomical Observatory, or Ohama Nobumoto Memorial Hall.