The Hoshinoya Nara Prison hotel: 48 suites inside a 1908 jail, already award-winning

◉ First GlanceOur report on opening day

Opened on 25 June 2026, the Hoshinoya Nara Prison hotel has set 48 suites inside the former Nara Prison, completed in 1908 and listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The ninth address from the Hoshinoya brand, it has just received the ‘Japanese Social Design Project’ award, announced by Hoshino Resorts on 13 October 2026.

☰Contents

1. Nara, 1908: the last of the five great prisons
2. Five wings in a star around a guard post
3. 48 suites carved out of the old cells
4. What’s on the menu behind the brick walls?
5. A museum open to all since April 2026
6. A design award in October 2026
7. From 147,000 yen, 6 minutes from the station

Nara, 1908: the last of the five great prisons

Construction began in 1901 to plans by the architect Keijiro Yamashita, and the prison was completed in 1908. It was the first of the five great prisons of the Meiji era, alongside those of Nagasaki, Kanazawa, Chiba and Kagoshima, and is the only one still standing. It served as a prison for more than a century, until March 2017, the year it was listed as an Important Cultural Property.

An agreement signed in 2017 with the Ministry of Justice entrusted the site to Hoshino Resorts, which reinforced the brick buildings against earthquakes. The group presents it as Japan’s first luxury hotel set within a monument of this rank. Its logo features an hourglass, a symbol of time beginning anew.

Five wings in a star around a guard post

The layout follows the so-called ‘Haviland’ system: five red-brick wings radiate from a central guard post, from which all five wings could be taken in at a single glance. Four of these two-storey wings now house the hotel. The landscaping is by Hiroki Hasegawa (Onsite Planning and Design Office) and the lighting by Masanori Takeishi of ICE Urban Environmental Lighting Institute.

48 suites carved out of the old cells

The architect Rie Azuma (Azuma Environment and Architecture Institute) joined several cells to form each suite, with separate spaces for sleeping, living and dining. The suite called The 10-Cell combines ten solitary cells, the smallest unit in the prison.

The century-old, hand-laid brick walls have been stripped of their plaster and are set off by metal reinforcing pillars and pale woodwork. The suites sleep one or two guests, with check-in at 3 pm and check-out at noon.

What’s on the menu behind the brick walls?

Dinner is served in a dining room housed in a separate building, built around French-Japanese cuisine: Western techniques with Japanese touches. The hotel also has a main lounge and a second lounge where light meals are served. The official announcement mentions neither a spa nor a pool.

A museum open to all since April 2026

The site is also home to the Nara Prison Museum by Hoshino Resorts, open to day visitors since 27 April 2026, two months before the hotel. It tells the story of the place and its architecture, with no need to stay the night.

A design award in October 2026

On 13 October 2026, Hoshino Resorts announced that the hotel had received the ‘Japanese Social Design Project’ award at the EDIDA 2027 (ELLE DECO International Design Awards). The jury praised the balance between conserving the building and luxury hospitality, as well as the project’s contribution to the lasting preservation of heritage. Hoshino Resorts speaks of a ‘heritage cycle’: overnight stays fund the upkeep of the monument.

From 147,000 yen, 6 minutes from the station

The official rate starts at 147,000 yen per room per night, taxes and service included, meals not included. The hotel is a 6-minute drive from Kintetsu-Nara Station and 10 minutes from JR Nara Station. Other former places of confinement have become hotels, such as Mamula Island, in Montenegro; and for another major conversion, see Canfranc station, in the Pyrenees.

Article updated on 17 October 2026 after the hotel’s opening: our first version, written before the opening, counted six wings; the prison has five.