Nara Juvenile Prison

The former juvenile detention facility consists of five brick cell blocks arranged in a fan shape around a central watchtower and administrative building. Each block contains multiple floors with narrow corridors and metal cell doors opening onto open galleries that allowed supervision from a single point.

Architect Yamashita Keijiro designed the complex in 1908 as part of the Meiji government's efforts to modernize the penal system. Authorities closed the detention center in 2016 and began preparations to convert it into a hotel while maintaining its protected cultural status.

The name refers to the Japanese city where the facility stands, while the red brick walls and rounded arches appear between bare courtyards and barred windows. Visitors notice the merging of Western building forms with local craft techniques in the mortar joints and wall patterns that workers shaped more than a century ago.

The complex sits within the city area and remains closed for renovation work ahead of its future hotel use. Interested visitors should check for tour opportunities and access options as restoration nears the planned opening in 2026.

This building remains as the only one of the five great Meiji prisons to survive in its original brick structure. The fan layout allowed guards to oversee all cell blocks simultaneously from the central platform.

Location: Nara

Architects: Yamashita Keijirō

Address: 奈良県奈良市般若寺町18

Website: http://former-nara-prison.com

GPS coordinates: 34.69847,135.83336

Latest update: December 17, 2025 09:35