Text by MOOK Scenic Spots / Photos by The Former Nara Prison
Japan’s Kansai region’s “Former Nara Prison” is situated on a hill near famous sights such as Nara’s Tōdai-ji Temple. It was one of the five major prisons of the Meiji era and is an important cultural heritage site in Japan. Japan’s Ministry of Justice sought bids from eight companies to redevelop it into a mixed-use tourist destination, slated to officially open in 2021. The development will feature hot springs, bars, restaurants, a historical museum, and “prison hotels” operated by three different lodging brands.
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The arched entrance and Romanesque-style main gate, flanked by two round towers with classic dome roofs.
The former Nara Prison was built in July 1908 (Meiji 41) and functioned as the “Nara Juvenile Prison” from 1946 onward, with a mission of “correction” — helping inmates reintegrate into society after release and preventing recidivism. It is said that most of the construction work was done by the prisoners themselves, and the bricks used were fired in a kiln built within the prison grounds. It is the only one of the five major Meiji-era prisons that retains its original form.
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Designed by architect Keiojiro Yamashita, the former Nara Prison is renowned alongside four other prisons he designed — the five Meiji-era prisons: Chiba, Kanazawa, Nara, Nagasaki, and Kagoshima.
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The adoption of single-person cells, inspired by Western European models, represented a significant improvement in living conditions compared to the Edo-period practice of housing multiple people in 1.5-tatami mat-sized rooms exposed to wind and rain.
The former Nara Prison is a Romanesque-style brick (red brick) structure. Having stood for over 100 years since its completion, its solemnity and grandeur have never faded. The renovation preserved the original historic façade while reinforcing seismic resistance, and the interior was transformed into three types of accommodation spaces. Among the lodging brands taking up residence is “Muji,” making it Japan’s first prison-turned-hotel.
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The detention building is a two-story brick structure. Cells in Blocks 1–4 are single occupancy, while Block 5 has multiple-occupancy rooms, totaling around 500 rooms. The ground floor houses the body search area where inmates’ belongings were checked before heading to the factories.
The former Nara Prison, Japan’s oldest prison facility, was built with the goal of modernizing prison infrastructure. Following the Meiji Restoration, Japan revised its system to assert national sovereignty, constructing several prisons to demonstrate that it, too, was a modern, law-based nation.
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The entrance/administration building is a two-story red-brick structure topped with a corrugated tile roof. At its center stands a bluish-green spire, and the roof features a wooden truss structure. The floors on the first and second stories are made of wood.
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