In Japan, people sometimes say that elevators also have a kamiza, or higher-status position, and a shimoza, or lower-status position. In general, the area near the control panel is treated as the shimoza, while the farther inside area is considered the kamiza. However, people do not usually think about these positions as carefully as they might with seating in a traditional room or a formal meeting. In practice, who operates the buttons and holds the doors matters more than exactly where a guest or superior stands.
When escorting a guest for work, it feels natural for the host to enter first and stand near the control panel. The host presses the button for the correct floor, keeps the doors from closing, and lets the guest exit first. If a boss and subordinate are riding together, it is also natural for the subordinate to stand near the controls. The point is not simply that the lower-ranking person should stand in a lower-ranking position. It is more about not making the other person handle the elevator.
For that reason, if someone is escorting a guest but walks straight to the back and leaves the guest to press the floor button, it can be seen as rude. The problem is not that the exact kamiza and shimoza positions were mixed up. The problem is that the guest has been made to do something the host would normally take care of. The same applies when leaving the elevator: the host should normally hold the door and let the guest step out first rather than walking out ahead of them.
With friends or family, however, almost nobody worries about who stands by the control panel. The same is true in a crowded elevator at a station, store, or other public place. Finding an open space and avoiding getting in other people’s way matters more than following kamiza and shimoza rules. Trying to move around a packed elevator just to find the “correct” position would probably look stranger than simply standing where there is room.
So elevator kamiza and shimoza are not strict rules that Japanese people follow every time they ride. When escorting a guest, the host naturally takes care of the buttons and doors; when a boss and subordinate ride together, the subordinate often does the same. There is no need to worry too much about exactly where the guest stands, but leaving the guest to operate the elevator is much more likely to be seen as rude.
