IEICE Smart Radio Workshop (Sado Island, Niigata)
Introduction
I attended the May workshop of the IEICE Technical Committee on Smart Radio (SR), held on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture on May 11 and 12, 2026.
Smart Radio Workshop
I traveled from Hiroshima to Niigata by Shinkansen, changing trains in Tokyo. From Niigata Station, I took a bus to Niigata Port and then crossed to Ryotsu Port on Sado Island aboard a Sado Kisen jetfoil.
A jetfoil uses the lift generated by underwater wings to raise its hull above the sea surface and travel on its foils at speeds of over 60 kilometers per hour. It was a comfortable trip.
Since I booked early, I was able to get my favorite seat.
Arrival on Sado Island. I was getting excited.
The workshop venue was Ai Port Sado, about a five-minute walk from Ryotsu Port.
Ai Port Sado mainly houses conference facilities, and I noticed only one shop inside.
The venue was spacious and very comfortable.
The workshop featured a wide range of research presentations, covering performance evaluation of low Earth orbit satellite systems, image coding, indoor radio propagation, time synchronization, radio frequency allocation for drones, and wireless communication schemes for sensor networks. I also gave a presentation on GPS signal security, titled “Ranging signal authentication based on steganography for satellite positioning.”
There were plenty of restaurants serving set meals near the venue, and I enjoyed some delicious food. A supermarket was also within walking distance, making shopping convenient during my stay.
Ryotsu Port
There are many souvenir shops inside the Ryotsu Port terminal.
The observation deck offers a panoramic view of Lake Kamo, one of Sado’s characteristic sights. A fixed Weathernews camera was installed here as well.
As you leave Ryotsu Port, a Sado Okesa dancer statue welcomes travelers.
The surrounding area has been developed as Ryotsu Port Minato Park, which also has an outdoor stage called Ondeko Dome.
There was even a heliport in the park. Impressive.
Sado Airport
I visited Sado Airport, which had no scheduled flights at the time of my visit. It is a small airport with an apron (aircraft parking area) large enough for four small aircraft or one twin-engine aircraft, and a runway 890 meters long. It takes about ten minutes by bus from Ryotsu Port, followed by a five-minute walk from the nearest bus stop.
There were no arriving flights or people in sight when I visited, but I could enter the terminal, and the air conditioning was running.
This is the view of the apron through the door. It felt as though a plane might arrive at any moment.
On May 11, 2026, the very day the workshop began, TOKI AIR announced plans for familiarization and charter flights as a step toward resuming passenger flights to Sado. The announcement scheduled a familiarization flight between Niigata Airport and Sado Airport for May 19.
Ryotsu History Museum
The Ryotsu History Museum is about a twenty-minute walk from Sado Airport along the runway.
Although it is somewhat inconvenient to reach, the museum has extensive exhibits on boats, farming tools, and traditional crafts. I wished more people would visit.
There was also an enormous wooden vat said to be the largest in Japan. Apparently, it was once used to make miso.
During this trip to Sado, I learned about the latest research, ate delicious food, and enjoyed beautiful scenery. I had previously joined a tour of the Sado Gold Mine, but this time I enjoyed exploring the area around Ryotsu Port.