About me: I am an AFOL who has been building at least 1 set each year for my whole life. I build most sets under 500 pieces as a "puzzle build" without using the instructions. I chose to use the instructions for a model this big and detailed.

I have built all of the smaller LEGO Architecture sets (about 20 sets so far), but this was my first of the three large sets. (I haven't built Fallingwater or Robie House yet...)

Initial impressions: I am not very familiar with this building as I have never been to Japan, and I definitely haven't visited the portion which was preserved. That said, I did learn about the hotel in an extended documentary about Frank Lloyd Wright, so I do have a concept of how this section fit into the master plan. It looked like a brave design for a foreign architect in a new country.

It is an expensive set, and that slowed my purchase as well. (It's not readily available at a noticeable discount.)

Building experience: The initial construction of the base seems needlessly flimsy, but the build really starts to "come together" once you start working on the second floor. While I do not gravitate to the grey and tan color palette, this is a beautifully detailed and precise model. Excellent AFOL techniques across the entire construction.

Finished Model: Truly stunning. The model is exquisitely detailed while unmistakably LEGO. I love how the round profile of the stud is used as ornamentation in a few places. It's nice to see a few studs used in an artful way in even the highest-end LEGO architectural model.

Conclusion: Great building experience. This has definitely gotten me excited about Robie House and Fallingwater models. I hope they introduce more big models, although I'm fairly certain they are slow sellers at over 100$/set.

Using the instructions, this model took about 3 hours to complete. It involves a lot of precise construction and small parts.

Lego's Architecture series is a bit hit and miss - this one, though, scores a bullseye. After the underwhelming Big Ben and execrable Opera House, I guess we were due a good one.

As always with this series, it's beautifully presented - I think it's worth paying a bit extra for the higher quality box and the extra information about the building, it's architect and the model's designer that you get in the glossy instruction book. Among the snippets of information here is the fact that the building was sadly demolished in 1968 in an act of astonishing corporate vandalism. The monstrosity that replaced it is not mentioned, which is probably for the best... Thankfully, the entrance and lobby area were painstakingly rebuilt at another site and it's this portion that the set represents.

The box is pretty full of pieces - mostly very small ones - and the bags are not numbered but it's easy enough to find what you want as you go through the build.

Speaking of which, the build is more intricate than is usually the case, with extensive use made of SNOT techniques that seasoned MOCers will be familiar with, as well as many, many half stud offsets to achieve this model's stunning overall effect. The designer (not Adam Reed Tucker, but a gentleman by the name of Rok Kobe - who I hope will enjoy a long and productive career with Lego), has done everything to include as much of this building's gorgeous detailing as possible without the end result looking too busy. As always with Architecture sets, rushed assembly will be punished, but build it with care and it will be beautiful. Thankfully, there are not too many 1x1 tiles to line up this time...

My only query concerns the colour used to represent the brickwork - granted, red would have been incorrect but the real thing is more of a pale brownish red colour. Not tan, in any case, but it's possible that any of the more unusual colours would have restricted the parts available so perhaps I should stop arguing... whatever, the sand green for the copper roof and grey concrete accents are perfect.

The end result is surprisingly large (for an Architecture model..) and of course, completely unplayable, but the joy of this is simply looking at it, and there is much joy to be had.

Highly recommended.

This is my second Architecture set at the time I'm writing this review (the first being 21020 Trevi Foutain).

Box/Instructions

As you'd expect of an Architecture set : a beautiful box that you'll want to display as much as the completed model. As for the instructions, they were in bad shape and began to fall apart one page at a time as I was turning them. At least they were clear and I found that the first pages, about the history of the hotel, were captivating.

Parts

Lots of Tan, lots of Light Bluish Grey, lots of Trans-Black. Not a big fan of the three of them, however I think they blend nicely together, adding realism to the model. But, after looking at pictures of the real hotel, I'm still fantasizing about how it would have looked like with Dark Orange instead of Tan :-p

The build

The constant use of offsetting in this model simply blew me away. The whole entrance is very intricate and fun to build thanks to this technique. And then there's the windows, done in SNOT. Although a bit repetitive (8 times the same assembly), they are a big part of what gives the model its astonishing look in the end. So, worth it !

The completed model

Very pleasant to look at from all angles (that's where the playability comes from, the moving-around the model to see all the angles :-p). When I'll put it on my shelf, I hope I'll be able to have it just at the height of my eyes, otherwise I won't see under the entrance roof (and that would be a shame, because one of my favourite views is the one you would have if you were standing in front of the building, "in real life").

Overall opinion

A must-have for any Lego Architecture fan, for its displayability and the sole fact that it is the 2ng biggest (in terms of parts count) set of the theme. Also a good way to discover the theme (for the techniques of the build and the impressive look of the final model) if you're new to it. And if you acquire it and are not satisfied with the completed model, I guess you could always try and re-use the Tan and Trans-Black parts to design a skyscraper or something :-)