Japan’s former Nara Prison, built in 1908 and designated a cultural property in 2017, reopened as a luxury hotel under the name Hoshinoya Nara Prison Hotel in June 2026. The conversion and operation are managed by Hoshino Resorts following the prison’s closure that year.
Hotel Architecture Preserves Star-Shaped 25-Acre Prison Complex
The prison complex spans 25 acres in the city of Nara east of Osaka. It features a distinctive star-like layout with five detention wings radiating from a central command post. This original architectural design remains intact, and the site includes the Nara Prison Museum.
Guest Rooms Created by Combining Original Prison Cells with Historic Details
Guest accommodations were formed by merging the original prison cells into three
types of rooms. The largest, known as the “11-Cell Deluxe,” provides a living room and dressing area. Many historic features have been preserved, including hand-laid brick walls, ceiling moldings, green wooden cell doors with inspection slots, ventilation openings, room numbers, skylights, and steel reinforcement beams.
Origins as Meiji-Era Western-Style Prison with Juvenile Reformatory Role
Nara Prison was one of the first five Western-style detention institutions designed by Japan’s Meiji government era, which ended in 1912. Renamed Nara Juvenile Prison in 1946, it housed inmates aged 16 to 26, teaching vocational trades such as hair cutting and license plate manufacturing. The complex originally accommodated around 635 prisoners and included a
Romanesque gate, two-story administrative building, and central watch house enabling guard oversight of all five wards.
Management Emphasizes Preservation and Tourism Shift
Masaya Kakegawa, the hotel’s general manager, said the renovation balanced preserving historic elements with creating comfortable luxury accommodations. “Rather than hiding its past, we wanted guests to physically feel that history as they move through the space,” he stated. Kakegawa also expressed hopes the hotel will encourage longer stays in Nara, which has traditionally been a day-trip destination: “We hope this facility serves as a catalyst for shifting towards stay-based tourism, helping to showcase Nara’s full charm to the world.”
International Appeal and Popular Netflix Filming Location
The hotel attracts international
travelers interested in architecture, history, and culture. The site also served as a filming location for two episodes of the “Jack of Hearts” arc in the second season of the Netflix series “Alice in Borderland,” in which a character is imprisoned and must escape.
