HOSHINOYA Nara Prison

HOSHINOYA Nara Prison opened on 25 June 2026 inside the former Nara Prison, in Nara City. The prison was completed in 1908 to a design by Keijiro Yamashita, in red brick, with cell wings radiating from a central guard station. It was designated a National Important Cultural Property in 2017, and Hoshino Resorts worked with the national government and a team of experts for about seven years to restore it. A 2023 release gave spring 2026 as the opening season.

The hotel has 48 rooms, all private suites made by joining former cell blocks, in three types, the most spacious being the 11-Cell Deluxe. Rie Azuma designed the hotel, Hiroki Hasegawa the landscape and Masanori Takeishi the lighting, with Yoshihiko Sano on conservation. Dinner is a tasting menu called Gastronomy Chronicle that traces French cuisine in Japan, served in semi-private rooms for up to six guests in a building made from former solitary cells and meeting rooms. The Meiji-style breakfast costs JPY 6,380.

Rooms start from JPY 147,000 a night, with meals excluded. The hotel is 10 minutes by car from JR Nara Station and 6 minutes by car from Kintetsu Nara Station. The Nara Prison Museum by Hoshino Resorts stands on the same 25-acre site.

“HOSHINOYA, a collection of luxury properties each offering an overwhelming escape from the everyday through a unique, distinct theme, announces the opening of HOSHINOYA Nara Prison (Nara City, Nara Prefecture) on June 25, 2026.”

The operator’s wording, read on its own page and last checked 1 November 2026.