Declared an Important Cultural Property of Japan, the Nara Prison was one of the five jails from the Meiji era (1868-1912). The architect Keijiro Yamashita was responsible for the design of this historic building, which was completed in 1908.
Although the institution officially closed its doors in 2017, the hotel group Hoshino Resorts has sought to give this century-old space a new life: since last June, the 48 rooms of the luxury Hoshinoya Nara Prison hotel have been welcoming guests.
Would you stay in an old prison? Opinions on social media are clearly divided, but before you lean one way or the other, we share all the details of this peculiar stay.
The History of the Site
The complex spans 10 hectares, and also includes a museum dedicated to the sole surviving building of the five great Meiji prisons, now owned by Hoshino Resorts.
Regarding the preserved architectural legacy, the hotel retains the old red brick walls and has kept the Havilland system, a layout in which the cell wings radiate outward from the central guard post.
