Nara's latest accommodation option, the Hoshinoya Nara, occupies a meticulously preserved Meiji-era penal facility that has been transformed into an upscale hospitality destination. The establishment preserves the original architecture, including a distinctive red-brick gatehouse and observation posts commanding unobstructed views across five two-story cell blocks. Guests seeking distinctive lodging experiences can now reserve rooms crafted from interconnected detention chambers.
The guest accommodations deliberately retain the spatial characteristics of their former function. While contemporary furnishings and luxury appointments have been introduced, the substantial walls and robust entryways remain integral to the spatial experience. The design philosophy explicitly acknowledges rather than conceals the building's institutional heritage, inviting guests to contemplate its layered history.
The concept inevitably prompts reflection on the ethics of commercializing former sites of human suffering. In a nation where public security receives particular emphasis, questions arise regarding the appropriate treatment of existing correctional facilities and the role of historical penal architecture in contemporary society.
Sources: japantimes.co.jp
The words in bold are from the article.
| 1. meticulously | a. consider |
| 2. distinctive | b. carefully |
| 3. unobstructed | c. complex |
| 4. contemplate | d. profiting from |
| 5. layered | e. clear |
| 6. inevitably | f. unique |
| 7. commercializing | g. certainly |
| 8. contemporary | h. prison |
| 9. institutional | i. official |
| 10. correctional | j. modern |
1.b 2.f 3.e 4.a 5.c 6.g 7.d 8.j 9.i 10.h