One-of-a-kind accommodation includes former prison cells that have been transformed into guest rooms.

If you’re looking for a unique place to stay in Japan, then Hoshinoya Nara Prison might just fit the bill. Opened on 25 June, this hotel occupies the former Nara Prison and is operated by Hoshino Resorts, one of Japan’s leading luxury hospitality companies. Using its expertise, the company has retained many of the prison’s original features and even transformed former prison cells into guest rooms to create one of Japan’s most unforgettable stays.

Originally built in 1908, the former Nara Prison is a designated Important Cultural Property and the only surviving prison to remain fully intact from Japan’s Five Great Meiji Prisons. These famous correctional facilities – constructed in Nara, Chiba, Kanazawa, Nagasaki and Kagoshima – were designed by architect Keijiro Yamashita and commissioned by the Japanese government as part of a major shift towards a modern, centralised prison system in the Meiji era (1868-1912).

▼ Miniature replicas of the Five Great Meiji Prisons displayed at the former Nara Prison.

Influenced by Western ideas of architecture, surveillance and rehabilitation, this former prison features Western-style brickwork and a distinctive European-style Haviland System layout, where cell blocks radiate from a central guard tower for easier surveillance.

Nara Prison later became Nara Juvenile Prison, operating from 1946 until its closure in 2017. Following the closure, the Japanese Government sought proposals from private operators to preserve and make use of the historic site, eventually selecting Hoshino Resorts’ proposal to transform it into a hotel and museum. With Hoshinoya becoming the newest custodians, a hotel with 48 guest rooms now occupies some of the former cell blocks and administrative hall, while the museum consists of three exhibition wings, spread across areas that include the Third Cell Block.

The museum combines original architecture, historical exhibits and contemporary art to encourage visitors to think about justice, punishment, rehabilitation and the meaning of freedom.

The museum is split into three exhibition areas, with one in the former prison infirmary showing paintings, calligraphy and literary works by prisoners.

▼ The museum shop offers exclusive souvenirs, including a selection of products made in prisons across Japan.

▼ At the cafe, visitors can enjoy light meals that include brick-shaped curry bread.

▼ Visitors can also explore the Meiji prison architecture, including the Haviland-style layout.

The museum preserves the 96 single-occupancy cells in the Third Cell Block, complete with original wooden doors, heavy iron locks and high windows that brought natural light into each cell.

Over in the hotel area, guest rooms have been created by combining between nine and eleven former single-occupancy prison cells. Original brickwork, iron window grilles and huge 3.5-metre (11.5-foot) vaulted ceilings remain, while televisions and clocks are deliberately absent, to encourage guests to slow down and fully appreciate the historic surroundings.

▼ There are three room types, with the most spacious being “11-Cell Deluxe“, which includes a lounge room and living space.

▼ Hoshino Resorts describes it as “classic prison architecture meets modern elegance”.

Beyond the guest rooms, many of the prison’s original spaces have been repurposed while preserving their historic ambience.

▼ The former prison hall is now the hotel’s main lounge, where guests can relax with tea and sweets.

The area once used to hold people awaiting trial has been transformed into a dining room, where multi-course French-inspired cuisine and other carefully prepared dishes are served.

▼ Meals here are described as “A Gastronomic Journey Through Japan’s Modernisation”.

▼ Outside, the central courtyard has been redesigned with elegant white pathways and seasonal blooms.

The hotel aims to be a place where guests can immerse themselves in an often overlooked chapter of Japanese history and experience prison features that are said to reflect a more humane approach to incarceration and rehabilitation. It’s certainly a unique place to unwind and wonder what the walls might tell you if they could talk, but you’ll need deep pockets to stay here, as room prices start at 147,000 yen (around US$910) per night, excluding meals.

For those who can afford it, this is one of the most unforgettable places you can stay in Japan, but if your pockets aren’t deep enough to spend a night behind former prison walls, you can always soak up the atmosphere at the adjoining Nara Prison Museum, where tickets start at a much more affordable 2,500 yen.

Source: Hoshino Resorts
Top image: Hoshino Resorts
Insert images: Press release, Hoshino Resorts
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