Giving the Apprentice Butler Experience as a Gift

IThe Apprentice Butler Experience is a three-hour gift of attire, bearing and photographs

To give an experience is to offer not an object alone but three hours: being welcomed at the door, dressing, practising a butler's bearing and receiving photographs and a keepsake. Because the recipient spends the time moving their own body, the memory of the day stays in their posture and their hands.

The morning coat, waistcoat, shirt, striped trousers, shoes and white gloves are provided by the Manor. One butler accompanies the recipient, guiding them in turn through dressing, standing, bowing, tea, silver, service and the commemorative photographs.

The price is ¥49,800 per person for three hours. If you wish to give it to two or more, please consult us in advance so that we can confirm numbers and attire. The Manor holds a maximum of six and is never hired out unattended.

IIThe right recipient is someone who wants to keep a dream or a milestone in their own image

Choosing a recipient means thinking of someone with an interest in a butler's dress and bearing who would like to try it with their own hands, not only see it in photographs. Consult us for birthdays, anniversaries, milestones in life or a long-held fascination.

It can be given to women and to men. Male and female butlers are with us, and we hold attire in women's sizes. Rather than assuming by gender or experience, consider whether the recipient will enjoy the attire and the bearing.

However much you wish to surprise them, wearing the attire, moving their body and being photographed are matters for the recipient's own wishes. Rather than keeping everything secret until the day, we recommend sharing at least the content of the experience and the size check in advance.

IIIBefore applying, confirm height, build, clothing and shoe sizes

A size check means confirming with the butler, before you apply, that the Manor can provide attire to fit the recipient. We ask their height, build, usual clothing and shoe sizes, and discuss any concerns that numbers alone cannot convey.

As a guide, men of around 160–185 cm, women of around 150–160 cm, and shoe sizes of 24.0–27.5 cm. Please ask about sizes outside these. Do not give up simply because the figures fall outside the range; tell us the specifics before you give.

Even if you wish to keep it secret, because the experience uses attire, sizes cannot be settled by guesswork. Check their everyday clothing and shoes, or ask the recipient with a reason attached; accurate information comes first. The butler confirms whether the attire can be provided and replies.

Attire that fits comes before the surprise

Please confirm height, build, usual clothing and shoe sizes with the recipient before telling the butler.

IVSeparate the giver's and the recipient's details, then discuss dates and party size

Enquiring about a gift means telling the butler from the outset that the person applying and the person experiencing are different, and setting out the preferred dates, party size and attire details. In your enquiry, please make clear who will take part.

Dates are advised after checking the Manor, the butler and the attire. Please read the butler's confirmation of the booking and the conditions for changes before telling the recipient. We help both giver and recipient approach the day with confidence.

For two or more, sizes are needed for each person. Rather than applying one set of details to everyone, we confirm height, build, usual clothing and shoe sizes one by one. The flow within the Manor is also arranged to suit the number.

VWhen telling the recipient, describe the three hours and the attire specifically

Telling the recipient means conveying not only the name, the Apprentice Butler Experience, but specifically that it involves three hours, changing into attire, physical practice of the bearing, commemorative photographs and a keepsake. This reduces what they learn only on the day.

The Manor is at 2-7-4 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo. Share the address and the booked date and time accurately so that the recipient can plan their journey and their day. Please also mention that chauffeured pick-up is limited to journeys to and from five locations including Tokyo Teleport Station, that it is a service accompanying the booked plan, and that as there are days the vehicle cannot be used, availability is confirmed at booking.

The Manor does not provide meals. Food and drink may be brought in, so if you have wishes for the day, discuss them at booking. Where there are dietary concerns, do not assume anything will be provided; confirm with the recipient on the basis of what is brought.

VIThe day begins with a welcome at the door and moves into attire and bearing

The recipient's day begins with being greeted at the door by the butler, leaving their belongings and hearing the day's flow before moving to dress. We do not hurry anyone entering the Manor for the first time, and we ask about any concerns over attire or the hands.

Shirt, striped trousers, tie, waistcoat, morning coat, shoes and white gloves are put on in turn. Then standing, bowing, tea, silver and service are confirmed step by step alongside the butler's demonstration.

How the giver takes part on the day is something to discuss with the butler before applying. Do not promise to observe or take photographs without confirming; we reply after considering the numbers within the Manor, the attire and the flow.

VIIThe photographs capture not only the attire but the bearing you practised

The commemorative photographs capture not only a frontal view in the morning coat but a bow beside the butler, a hand offering tea, white gloves holding silver and a figure walking the gallery, together with the Manor's furnishings.

It helps to ask in advance whether the recipient wants photographs and which scenes they wish to keep. Rather than proceeding on the giver's wishes alone, we ask the recipient again on the day. The butler arranges posture and hands before photographing.

For one person, the focus is on the full figure and the hands; for two or more, exchanges between them and bowing side by side are possible. We choose safe positions within the Manor's limit of six and keep a photograph that conveys both the furnishings and the attire.

VIIIOne keepsake is presented on the day

The keepsake is one item, such as a pocket watch, presented by the butler with both hands at the end of the experience. The item depends on what is prepared on the day.

If you wish to leave a different item with us, or to add special wrapping, please consult us through the enquiry form before booking. You can then pass on to the recipient what the butler has advised.

"Three hours of memory, in the palm of your hand" does not mean the keepsake alone expresses the value of the experience. It is presented with both hands as a prompt to look back on the time built up from the door, the attire, the bow, the tea and the photographs.

Three hours of memory, in the palm of your hand.

IXShare the conditions for changes and cancellation with the recipient before giving

Confirming the conditions for changes means deciding who will contact the Manor once the date has been given, and both of you reading the cancellation policy for the Apprentice Butler Experience. This avoids a situation where only the giver knows the terms.

There are points at which the butler begins preparations, such as arranging the attire and the keepsake. Rather than promising refunds or changes on your own, please consult us in line with the confirmed booking and the policy. If plans look likely to change, let us know as early as you can.

Even as a gift, the recipient's health and safety come first. If rain or transport affects arrival, do not rush; contact the Manor. The butler advises the decision on the day.

XIn discussing beforehand, we confirm together that the three hours suit the recipient

Discussing beforehand means confirming with the butler the recipient's wishes, sizes, dates, party size, photographs and how you will take part on the day. Tell the butler your wishes and we shape the gift according to what we advise.

Women and men can take part, and male and female butlers are with us. If you are giving to someone with preferences about attire or the attending butler, please tell us the recipient's wishes as well. The recipient's ease comes before the giver's surprise.

As an experience run by the Japan Butler Association, we show respect for the recipient not only at the moment of application but from the welcome at the door to the farewell on departure. If you are unsure whether it suits your loved one, please enquire with their sizes and your preferred dates.

XIAfter giving, share a way for the recipient to ask questions directly

Guidance after giving means not stopping at conveying the booking once, but sharing how to contact the Manor and the guide pages, so that the recipient can check attire, belongings, photographs and the flow of the day. This avoids a situation where questions can only pass through the giver.

If the recipient has new wishes or concerns, please tell the butler, noting where they differ from the original application. Not deciding on the giver's wishes alone, but centring the health and feelings of the person who will actually spend the three hours, is the final consideration in giving an experience.