Can a Japanese prison turn into a luxury hotel? On August 17, Elona Karafin, a luxury travel content creator and founder of Japan Like a Local, posted a tour of a luxury suite in a century-old former Nara Prison, part of which has been converted into an unusual luxury stay by Hoshinoya Resorts.
In the video, Elona shares details of the luxurious five-star hotel that was recently repurposed from a century-old Japanese correctional facility. She also highlights a spacious suite created by merging several former cells into a single, elongated living area that retains some of its original architectural features. Let's take a look inside:
To construct the luxury stay, she revealed that around 500 former cells were converted into 48 suites, hotel amenities, and a restaurant. The proportions of the original prison are still very much part of the experience, making the rooms unusually long and narrow: up to 11 cells can make up one suite.
Moreover, operating part of the site as a hotel helps fund the continued preservation of a culturally important building that is incredibly expensive to maintain. “This is definitely one of the most unusual hotels I’ve ever stayed in,” Elona added.
The former prison, turned into a five-star property, is located in Nara, Japan. According to a local Japanese commenter, the location of the stay helps encourage tourists to visit places like Nara because Kyoto is currently suffering from overtourism.
Calling it one of the most distinctive room tours she has ever given, Elona showed the suite's various amenities. The room, according to her, has been converted from 9 to 11 former prison cells, creating a long, rather than wide, suite. The lobby retains the usual prison architecture, and even the heavy metal door of a cell is still there.
Inside, as soon as you enter, the first room is a lounge area. Much of the exposed red brick remains in its original form from when the facility was fully operational as a prison. The lounge has a mini dining table, a small coffee station, and a mini bar that's fully stocked with champagne, spirits, and wine, all included in the stay.
The suite features an open floor plan – a long but not wide space – with each room having small windows that let in natural light. According to Elona, before coming to the hotel, natural light was one of her reservations, since the hotel was still a former prison. But she shared that when the sun is out, it is perfect.
The suite also has a fully functioning bathroom with a standalone tub, a shower, and a toilet. A second lounge area serves as a living room, with an old-school CD and cassette player where guests can enjoy music from the former Meiji Era. And lastly, Elona revealed the bedroom, with nothing but a bed in soft tones.
According to the Hoshinoya Nara Prison website, a one-night stay here would cost between USD 317 (approximately ₹30,345) and USD 1,114 (approximately ₹1,06,638). The rooms are divided into three categories: the 11-cell deluxe suite, the 10-cell suite, and the 9-cell suite.
Krishna Priya Pallavi is a journalist with over 9 years of experience, covering health, fashion, pop culture, travel, wellness, entertainment, festivals, mental health, art, decor, fitness, and sex and relationships. She is an alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal, and holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi. Her strong academic foundation informs her analytical and detail-oriented approach to storytelling, helping her uncover stories where none seem to exist. Before joining Hindustan Times, Pallavi worked with some of India’s leading media organisations. She spent close to three years at India Today, where she honed her newsroom skills and developed a sharp editorial sensibility. She also worked for over a year and a half at Vagabomb, ScoopWhoop’s feminist digital platform, where she explored stories through a gender-sensitive, socially aware lens. Pallavi has a deep interest in global fashion trends and international fashion seasons, and enjoys interviewing celebrities and tracking pop culture movements—interests that frequently translate into engaging, reader-friendly stories. Alongside lifestyle and entertainment, she has a keen eye for impactful health and wellness journalism, regularly interacting with doctors, designers, and digital content creators to bring nuance and credibility to her work. Born and raised in Haryana, Pallavi remains deeply connected to her ancestral roots in Odisha. Her ability to spot fresh angles brings curiosity and depth to stories she pursues. When not chasing deadlines, she enjoys spending time with her dog, planning her next vacation, reading, running new trails, and discovering new destinations.Read More
