Japan is often a world innovator, but two of the newest innovations may give some travelers reason to pause. Perhaps literally, as a juvenile prison and a chain of internet cafes turn into holiday housing.
The internet cafe idea, being developed by the Manboo chain of internet cafes. The company noticed that numbers of people were using its 24-hour operation as a sort of hotel, because playing games and working there is cheaper than either a hotel room or the cab far home when transportation systems shut down from midnight to 5 am.
So, they are adding private, lockable cubicles to the usual open ones, allowing more safety if one falls asleep. Each unit has a PC, a Blu-Ray player and Wi-Fi.
On the darker side, the Nara Juvenile Prison, which formerly housed 700 minors convicted of serious offenses, is becoming a center for hotels and activities. The prison, built in 1908, closed in March.
Some of the dormitories are being refurbished to be hotel rooms, while other rooms are being built in new facilities on the site. Restaurants will be developed in dining hall spaces, and cultural spaces are being set aside. One portion of the complex will become a museum as a reminder of its original purpose. It's all supposed to open in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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