The Sofitel Ueno, overlooking Ueno Park’s Shinobazu Pond, was one of my favorite (weird) buildings in Tokyo…until it was demolished in between late 2006 and mid-2008. Heck, the Sofitel wasn’t around that long to begin with, opening only in 1994.
It was designed by the late Kiyonori Kikutake (菊竹 清訓), one of the prominent architects in the Japanese Metabolist movement. According to this site, the trapezoidal design was meant to illustrate the concept of a tree of life in the Shinto belief. Originally, Shinto shrines were groves or forests, whereas the term yorishiro (依り代) referred to a natural object capable of accommodating kami (神), or spirits, for religious ceremonies. Given that trees often have a towering presence, they were the best candidates to become yorishiro. Spookier still, tree branches – or in the case of this hotel, the jagged edges of the trapezoids – represented deceased ancestors watching over the lives of their descendants. So, if your hotel room had skylights…
Cool architecture for sure, and here’s to hoping that a newer version will be coming to a Japanese capital near you.
buildingmybento 
What a crazy looking hotel. Any idea why they decided to tear it down?
Good question…can’t find a reliable answer, though there were originally plans to move it to another part of Tokyo. (Knowing Tokyo a bit, I can’t say it was the best location; that said, with that design, perhaps at the time there weren’t many other choices for neighborhoods.)
Yet, you can still “book” a room here:https://www.hotelsclick.com/hotels/japan/tokyo/8914/hotel-sofitel.html
and for even more info…http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan/684645-matsu-shaped-sofitel-ueno-being-moved.html
What a mystery! Just because I was curious tried to book and got the response ‘not available’… I know the GM of Sofitel here in Mumbai and wonder if he knows what happened. If I get a chance to ask one of these days and get an answer will let you know! 🙂
Krupayā do ask! (Apparently that’s how one says please is Marathi.)
Say…when is your next jaunt to Jakarta?
Sigh… no assignments in Indonesia this year and likely none til mid next year. I’m hoping one of my early 2016 Singapore trips can tag on a personal pop over to Jakarta as missing it!!