Japan’s Oldest Elevator Maintained by Nippon OtisMarks Its 100th Anniversary

For 100 years, Nippon Otis Elevator Company has been maintaining Japan’s oldest operating elevator¹ at Tohka Saikan, a long-established Chinese restaurant in Kyoto. The historic elevator will mark its 100th anniversary of passenger service in 2026. Nippon Otis is the Japanese subsidiary of Otis Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: OTIS), the world’s leading company for elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation, and service.

The Tohka Saikan Restaurant building was completed in 1926. The building – the only restaurant designed by American-born architect William Merrell Vories, famous for buildings including the Hilltop Hotel in Ochanomizu, Tokyo and the Daimaru department store in Shinsaibashi, Osaka – still retains its beautiful original Spanish Baroque-style design.

Since its opening, a single Otis elevator has continued to transport passengers. The elevator, manufactured in the United States, was shipped to Japan and installed in the building.

For 100 years, Otis has rigorously performed regular maintenance and component replacements to ensure the safe operation of this elevator, retaining details such as the scissor gate and the operator’s brass control handle. Otis engineers are entrusted with maintenance work, and the mission of preserving equipment of historical value for future generations to use and admire. Otis' commitment to preserving the original mechanical structure and maintaining its cultural heritage, while keeping the elevator operating safely and smoothly, symbolizes the company's technical expertise and sense of responsibility to customers.

“Riding Japan’s oldest elevator to the restaurant seating area offers guests a journey through time,” said Tohka Saikan Restaurant Manager Shuchu U. “Preserving old and valuable things is a challenging task. Thanks to our long-standing partnership with Nippon Otis, the elevator has been transformed from a mere means of transportation into a significant cultural and historical asset.”

“We are proud of our long and valued association with the historic Tohka Saikan Restaurant, and of keeping this famous elevator in safe and reliable service for an incredible 100 years,” said Nippon Otis President, Patrick Yeung. “This achievement highlights the versatility and experience of our Otis teams. While we focus on developing next-generation technologies to modernize older equipment and infrastructure, we also help our customers preserve culture, heritage and history – ensuring generations of passengers can enjoy these unique experiences.”

1. Source: https://www.tohkasaikan.com/information/elevator.html
 

Exterior of Tohka Saikan Restaurant

Elevator lobby on the first floor of Tohka Saikan Restaurant　

The handle used by an operator to control the elevator

An engineer who expertly maintains the elevator

To learn more about Otis products and services, visit www.otis.com.

About Otis

Otis gives people freedom to connect and thrive in a taller, faster, smarter world. The global leader in the manufacture, installation and servicing of elevators and escalators, we move 2.4 billion people a day and maintain approximately 2.4 million customer units worldwide – the industry's largest Service portfolio. You’ll find us in the world's most iconic structures, as well as residential and commercial buildings, transportation hubs and everywhere people are on the move. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 72,000 people strong, including 44,000 field professionals, all committed to manufacturing, installing and maintaining products to meet the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories. To learn more, visit www.otis.com and follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook @OtisElevatorCo.