在东京，一对排列有序的人耐心地站在电梯旁，等待下一趟电梯的到来。没有人拥挤和推搡，也不用担心人们会争抢着进电梯。跟日本的大多数事物一样，电梯也有着一定的文化。使用电梯时，有约定俗成的正确的和错误的行为。
　　然后，自从三月份东京发生强烈地震，事情变得有点不一样了。
　　日本的电梯和西方的电梯有些不同。首先，日本电梯的“关门”按钮确实管用，而且非常迅速。有时我在美国，觉得“关门”按钮更像是装饰，或者说使乘客觉得自己能作用于自己的处境，其实不然。日本电梯里的安全特征也和西方的不一样。在美国，大多数电梯有传感器，这样如果有人站在门口，电梯不会关闭。在日本，除非电梯里的人按下“开门”按钮，否则电梯门会在你面前关上，如果你进去之前犹豫的话。
　　在日本，安全措施更多是为地震而准备的。美国奥的斯电梯公司，美国联合技术公司的子公司，现在所生产的所有电梯都有地震传感器，这样电梯就能判断是否有地震。一定电梯察觉有地震，就会马上下降了底层，打开门。直到技术人员检查并解除限制，电梯才会重新运行。
　　3月11日，奥的斯公布说，公司所有的电梯都运行正常，没有人被困在里面。地震发生的一周内，奥的斯又宣布他们在日本受影响的16700台电梯中的16400台重新联机。其他电梯公司出现了地震时电梯自动停止运行的情况，所有他们公布了情况，但是被困在电梯里的人员很快得到解救，而且停运电梯也很快恢复服务。如果没有这些安全措施和日本严格的建筑规范，灾难会更严重。
　　地震发生后，日本出现了电力问题，因为其大量的电能由核电站提供，而其中最大的核电站在地震和海啸中溶化了。日本的反应具有典型的斯多葛主义，并实行“setsuden”政策——节约能源时间。这对电梯产生了重要的影响，所以许多电梯被关闭以节省电能。一个银行里至少有一台电梯被停用。日本人安静地，毫无怨言得爬楼梯到办公室。
　　考虑到日本的电梯礼仪，可用电梯的数量特别重要。日本是个任何事情都很规律和适时的国家。大多数日本人都准确地在上午9点到达上班地点。他们很准时地吃午餐。在摩天大楼里，电梯通常在这些特殊时刻非常拥挤，每个电梯外都有大量排队等候的人。而电梯停工使队伍变得更长。
　　早上，每个人都耐心地等电梯，但中午时，人们经常发现一台又一台下降的电梯都是满载。建筑高层的员工首先抢占了电梯。他们的方法是按下上升键，让电梯升到顶层，然后一路坐到底层。按照日本文化，中午必须吃午饭，所以人们会想尽办法下楼去饭馆。
　　在东京，电梯尤其重要。考虑到有那么多人居住在城市里和建筑物的高度，电梯对整个国家的运转来说是至关重要的。关于电梯使用的，严格的建筑规范保障了大家的安全，日本文化对电梯的使用由礼仪礼貌的要求。两者结合起来，就是成功的秘诀。

Japan Quake Highlights Country's Elevator Culture
 

　　TOKYO -- A line of orderly people wait patiently by a bank of elevators for the next one to open. There's never any pushing and shoving, and there's never any worry about the number of people jostling for a spot to get in. Like most things in Japan, even elevators have a culture surrounding them. There are proscribed "right" and "wrong" ways to behave when using an elevator.
　　Since the Great Tohoku earthquake in March, however, things have been slightly different。
　　Japanese elevators are somewhat different than those in the west. First of all, the button labeled "close door" actually works, and works immediately. Sometimes when I am in the United States, I feel that the "close door" button is more for decoration or to make riders feel like they are having an effect on their environment, when they really are not. Safety features on elevators in Japan are not the same as those in the West, either. In the U.S. most elevators have a sensor for when someone is standing in the door so they do not close. In Japan, unless someone inside the elevator holding the "door open" button, the door is likely to close on your shoulder if you hesitate before entering.
　　Safety in Japan has more to do with earthquake preparedness. All elevators currently made by the American company Otis Elevator, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation, have a seismic sensor so that they know if there is an earthquake. If they feel the shaking, they immediately go to the ground floor and open. They will not move again until a technician comes to check and release them.
　　On March 11, Otis reported that all of their updated elevators operated as expected and had no people stuck in them. Within a week of the earthquake, Otis reported that 16,400 of the 16,700 affected elevators that they service in Japan were back online. Other elevator companies have elevators that automatically stop in case of an earthquake so they reported stoppages and people stuck inside, but everyone was rescued quickly, and the elevators were back in service quickly. Without these safety measures in place, along with strict building codes in Japan, the disaster would have been that much worse.
　　Since the quake, Japan has had electricity issues since so much of its power is supplied by nuclear power plants, one of the largest of which partially melted down following the quake and tsunami. The Japanese have responded with typical stoicism and instituted "setsuden" -- saving energy time. This has a particular affect on elevators in that many have been turned off to save electricity. Or at least one elevator in a bank of elevators will be stopped. The Japanese quietly and uncomplainingly take the stairs to their offices.
　　The number of available elevators is of particular importance, given elevator etiquette in Japan. Japan is a country where things are regular and well-timed. Most Japanese people arrive for work precisely on time at 9 a.m. They have lunch exactly at noon. In the skyscrapers that define the skyline, the elevators get very crowded at those particular intervals, leading to large queues of people standing and waiting for a spot in an elevator. The elevator stoppages have led to even longer lines.
　　In the mornings everyone waits patiently for a spot in the elevator, but very often, at around noon, people get to the elevator and find car after car completely full going down. The workers on the upper floors of the building commandeer the elevators first. Their solution is to press the up-button, ride to the top, and then go down all the way down to the ground. Lunch has to be eaten at noon, according to Japanese culture, so the people do what they must to get to the ground to go to the restaurants.
　　In Tokyo, elevators are of prime importance. Given the number of people who inhabit the city and the height of the buildings, they are crucial to the way the country works. Stringent building codes regarding the use of elevators keeps everyone safe, and the Japanese culture demands politeness and decorum when using those elevators. Together, it's a recipe for success.