Japan turns prison ruins into luxury hotel

A project undertaken by Japanese resort operator Hoshino Resorts, the new hotel uses the Hoshinoya Nara Prison facility and was previously scheduled to open in the summer of 2024 but was forced to delay due to the need for earthquake resistance surveys.

The site is located near Nara Park, which has many tourist attractions, including many deer and the Todai-ji temple complex.

Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the facility's rich history, which dates back to the early 20th century. Hoshino Resorts guarantees that visitors will not have to "endure the cramped conditions that former prisoners experienced."

The resort's operator promises an "exceptional stay" in the iconic red-brick former prison building with refurbished interiors.

The hotel has 48 rooms, each made from several cells. Hoshino Resorts will retain some of the old prison's features, such as the placement of windows high on the walls to prevent escapes.

Nara Prison was completed in 1908, a testament to the Meiji government's efforts to modernize detention facilities in Japan during that period.

The main gate is Romanesque in style with an arched entrance and cylindrical towers on either side. The prison area uses the Haviland style of construction, consisting of a central guard station and several separate prison areas radiating from the center like star wings.

According to a website that preserves the prison's history, at its peak it held 935 inmates, far exceeding its capacity of 650.

Nara Prison was used as a juvenile detention facility after the end of World War II and closed in 2017. That same year, it was designated an important national cultural property.

Due to the prison's important historical significance, authorities are planning to build a museum open to visitors during the day right on the hotel's site.