Miku Sasaki,
Curator at Nara Prison Museum

I’m involved in creating our cafe and shop spaces.

To celebrate the 30-day countdown to our grand opening, we are launching a special daily series featuring 30 guests with deep ties to Nara Prison: "The Exquisite Prison and the 30."
Day 22 features Miku Sasaki, Curator at Nara Prison Museum.

Exhibits That Pose the Question "What Is Freedom?"

One of the art exhibits in Block C, themed around Prison and Art, is the project Sewing Voices by Yoshinari Nishio. This project involves participants embroidering lines of poetry onto pieces of fabric. The poems are taken from a booklet titled Aoniyoshi, a collection of works written by inmates when this building was the Nara Juvenile Prison. As I participated and carefully stitched each thread, I found myself wondering about the person who wrote those words and what they were thinking. It allowed me to perceive the time spent in prison as something relevant to myself. In addition to the art in Block C, Blocks A and B also feature many exhibits that ask visitors to consider themes such as What is freedom?, Why was Nara Prison created?, and What is a prison?. We hope you take your time to explore and find your own answers.

The beautiful brick building, which remains almost exactly as it was when completed, was designated as a National Important Cultural Property in 2017.

PROFILE

Miku Sasaki

Curator at Nara Prison Museum

After gaining experience as a hotel staff member at Hoshino Resorts KAI Poroto, Miku Sasaki has been involved in the opening preparations for the Nara Prison Museum as a curator since 2025. While studying the exhibition content, she is dedicated to finding ways to attract more visitors and communicate the unique appeal of this museum.

Follow the series on Instagram: “The Exquisite Prison and the 30”