Related — Academy

Japan Butler Academy

The school in Aomi where the Manor's conduct is taught

Queen's Butler — Definition

About Japan Butler Academy

The Japan Butler Academy is the specialist school where the Japan Butler Association, which also operates the Manor, teaches butlers at its main school in Odaiba, Tokyo, and confers the Association's certification after a practical examination. The way a Manor butler pours tea, or judges the moment before a door, was taught here as a form, repeated, and examined. Seen from the Manor, it is the path we point to for a lady who stood on the butler's side for just three hours in the apprentice experience and wishes to know what lies beyond.

The classroom behind the manor

If you have wondered at the Manor how this person can move like that, the answer is in this school.

The instant a lady opens her book, the lights drop a notch; the door opens before there is any sign of her rising. Such movements by the Manor's butlers are not quick instinct but the result of training. The Japan Butler Academy is the institution that raises, in classroom and practice room, butlers who read ahead, set the scene and can move before a word is said.

Japan Butler Academy official website

From the Japan Butler Academy website: students around a white-clothed table learning table setting in the Essential course classroom

The body that teaches and the body that certifies are the same

Its distinguishing feature is that the body that teaches and the body that certifies are one and the same Association. Teaching follows the basic, applied and specialist textbooks the Association supervises; the practical examination at the end confirms skill; and those who pass are conferred the Association's certification, all as a single flow. It is not a company that places people, but strictly an institution on the teaching side.

The three hours at the Manor are the entrance to this school

The Manor's butler apprentice experience is a doorway for tasting the air of this school in three hours. The road to learning it seriously as a profession continues into the Academy.

The school and the Manor stand within walking distance

The distance between the school and the Manor is short enough to walk. The way of carrying a tray taught in the classroom is used in the Manor's corridor that same weekend, and a habit of timing noticed at the Manor is corrected in the following week's class. Because the place of teaching and the place of duty share a town, learning does not stay on the desk but becomes real before a lady's eyes.

From the Japan Butler Academy website: a butler in a morning coat and white gloves standing before the entrance of the main school in Odaiba

School profile

The name, who runs it, and where the school stands

Name	Japan Butler Academy (The Japan Butler Academy)
Operated by	Japan Butler Association (which also supervises the textbooks and curriculum)
President	Butler Bell (Yuichi Ishii)
Main school	Aomi 2-7-4, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064 (Odaiba)
From the station	About five minutes on foot from either Tokyo International Cruise Terminal or Telecom Center on the Yurikamome Line

Three courses

How far the two lower courses take a student

From the Japan Butler Academy website: a class in its distinctive curriculum blending tradition and innovation

Course	Length	How far it goes	Certification on completion
Essential	1 month, 8 days, 48 hours	Basic manners, everyday household management, table setting, tea and coffee, care of clothing, speaking. The stage at which everyday service can be done alone	Certified Associate Butler
Advance	2 months, 12 days, 72 hours	Everything in Essential, with advanced service technique, wine and spirits, the planning and running of events, international manners and the care of fine clothing	Certified Professional Butler

School profile

How the teaching is held, and where to enquire

Schedule	In-person classes on Saturdays and Sundays. Six hours a day (four 90-minute periods). Preparation and review by on-demand video
Class	Six students per class, minimum three
Tours and consultations	By appointment only. Brochure requests and individual consultations are free (online possible)
Telephone	03-6824-4086 (weekdays 10:00-17:00)
Official website	https://butler-academy.jp/

Three courses

How far the highest course takes a student

Course	Length	How far it goes	Certification on completion
Master	3 months, 96 hours	Everything up to Advance plus household management, crisis response and security, international protocol, VIP hospitality and leadership. A graduation dinner practical examination on completion	Certified Master Butler

The three courses build upward, each containing the ones below

Every course is complete in itself, so choosing the one that fits your goal gives you the range you need. Advance and Master can be taken from the start without butler experience, and the transfer concessions for progressing from a lower course, together with each course's fees, are set out on the course list on the official website.

The Advance course includes practice taken from the guest’s side

A special session is arranged in which hospitality of the first order is received as a guest. It follows from the belief that one who has never known being served cannot refine the quality of serving.

Four pillars

Four pillars that hold up the learning

From the Japan Butler Academy website: students in class at the main school in Odaiba

Six seats

A classroom of six

Six students to a class. The instructor watches down to the angle of each hand and has it repeated until the body remembers. The minimum of three exists for the same reason: to keep a number the instructor can see in full.

From the Japan Butler Academy website: a lecture in the curriculum

Textbooks

Textbooks supervised by the Association

From an introduction to butlership and housekeeping to household management, dining service, event planning, international protocol and crisis management, the Association supervises modular textbooks. You understand why each movement is made, and can reread them after completion.

From the Japan Butler Academy website: a young butler in a morning coat and white gloves presenting a gilt plate with both hands

Certification

Certification as the destination

Finish the course and pass the practical examination, and a butler qualification certified by the Association is conferred. It is a private qualification recognised by the Association rather than a state one, and the certificate and pin badge are the proof of skill.

From the Japan Butler Academy website: a role-play practical

Weekends

Attendance on weekends only

All classes fall on Saturdays and Sundays. You can attend while keeping your present job, with preparation and review filled in by on-demand video. It is built so that contact time is spent entirely on practice and questions.

Enrolment

Requesting the prospectus, and arranging a consultation or visit

From the Japan Butler Academy website: an instructor across a study desk, answering a prospective student's questions

Send for the brochure

A brochure covering the founding purpose, the content and fees of the three courses, the year's opening dates, certification and how to apply arrives free of charge as a PDF.

Consultation and tour

Course choice and the path after completion can be discussed free of charge, online or at the school. Tours of the building and trial classes are all arranged by prior appointment.

Who enrols

These are the people who knock at the classroom door

From the Japan Butler Academy website: a senior butler at a study desk with a textbook open, at work on the Master course

New path

Those who want the butler's profession

Those changing from other work can build the basic forms from Essential upward. It is the road to making the morning coat you slipped on in the Manor's apprentice experience your everyday dress. Beyond the three courses lies a future standing as a butler at the Manor or in a home.

Hospitality

Those working in hotels and restaurants

Intermediate skills such as serving wine, running banquets and international manners can be acquired at weekends, raising your expertise in your present workplace a step. Advance can be taken from the start without butler experience, so you can build directly on your service experience.

From the Japan Butler Academy website: a butler adjusting his dress before the mirror of a wardrobe

Everyday

Those who want to refine hospitality at home and work

How to receive a guest, show them to a seat and serve a drink are skills that live on in daily life even if you never become a butler. Some begin their learning in this order: to do for someone else the conduct that felt so comfortable when a butler did it for them at the Manor.

Enrolment

From application to the opening day

Apply

Beyond a minimum age there are no conditions of nationality, gender or experience. Apply through the form; each opening closes once its six places are taken.

Contract and transfer

Within two working days of sending, a member of staff contacts you with the enrolment contract and details of the bank transfer (in full). Enrolment is settled once the transfer is confirmed.

Opening day

In-person classes begin at the main school on the opening day. If fewer than the minimum of three enrol, the opening is postponed and fees are refunded in full.

Being served, to serve

Touching first-class service as a guest is also part of the course.

The Advance course includes a special practicum in which students, each as a guest, take afternoon tea or a full-course dinner at a first-class hotel and watch at close range the timing and attentiveness of professional service. The thinking is that someone without the feel of the served side cannot polish the quality of the serving side.

From the Japan Butler Academy website: a small-class tea service practical

It closes with a graduation dinner, sat as a practical examination

The Master course closes with a graduation dinner practical examination. Everything from laying the formal table to serving and running the evening is tested straight through, and it is the movements that have become part of the body, not classroom knowledge, that are judged. What is performed before the examiners is the same movement carried out at the Manor every day; the only difference is that at the Manor a lady does not put its quality into words.

The order of the three tiers shows that translation at work

At afternoon tea in the Manor, in what order the tiers of the stand are set and at what height the tea is poured: if you have noticed the comfort of it, that is the sign that a butler able to translate a guest's sense into a server's craft is standing in the Manor.

The campus

The settings for learning by hand are gathered at the Aomi school

From the Academy's official site. The atrium entrance of the building that houses the school.

Odaiba

A school looking out over Tokyo Bay

The school stands in Odaiba, on a corner overlooking Tokyo Bay. It is about five minutes on foot from either Tokyo International Cruise Terminal or Telecom Center on the Yurikamome line, set in the same waterfront streets as the Manor. Visits are strictly by appointment, are accepted on weekdays without classes, and take about thirty minutes.

From the Academy's official site. A room furnished as a drawing room, with fireplace, settee and long-case clock.

Rehearsal

A practice room built as a drawing room

A room furnished exactly as a drawing room, with fireplace, settee and long-case clock, is set aside for practice. Here the instructor takes the part of the guest and the student answers as the butler. The bow a guest receives at the Manor is unhesitating because the same scene was begun again many times here.

From the Academy's official site. A still life of a decanter, glassware and a candlestick on a table.

Beverage

The setting for handling drink

A setting for serving wine and other drinks is also prepared. Drawing the cork, the manner of pouring, where the glass is placed on the table: each is taken into the body with the actual vessels in hand. A butler’s hands are quiet in the dining room because a soundless handling was learned here.

Six settings

Settings for the table, for drink, and for clothing

Service ware for laying a table	From formal occasions to relaxed ones, the building of a table to suit the scene. Where cutlery and glass are placed, and how a napkin is folded, are learned by hand.
Tea and coffee equipment	From the temperature of the water and the brewing through to serving it beautifully. Pouring and bearing towards the guest are taken in as one flow.
A room for the care of clothes	The iron and the steamer, and care according to cloth. From finishing a shirt to tending a coat, the management of clothing asked of a butler.

What remains

What remains is a bearing, and the implements in the hand

From the Academy's official site. A butler crossing a chandelier-lit hall carrying a silver tray.

Bearing

Certification shows in how one stands

Each course of study closes with a practical examination, and those who pass receive the certification of the Association. Certified Associate, Certified Professional and Certified Master form three grades that rise with the depth of study. All are private qualifications defined by the Association itself, and whether they were earned shows first not on paper but in how a room is crossed.

The gold pin laid on white gloves

Those who pass the examination receive a pin together with the certificate. The small piece of metal at the lapel shows, without a word, how far its wearer has come. A glint at the lapel of a butler at the Manor is the mark of this training.

Gloves

The white gloves given on the first day

White gloves are handed over on the first day whichever course is taken, and are worn throughout every practical session. Cleanliness, the keeping of dignity, and the fact that this is a professional post are learned by the hands from the moment they are drawn on. The white hands that touch silver at the Manor begin with this one pair.

Six settings

Settings for reply, and for welcome and farewell

A room for repeated replies	The instructor takes the part of the guest and the student answers as the butler. The same scene is repeated until the judgement stays in the body.
An area for welcome and farewell	The welcome at the entrance, the taking of a coat and the farewell, confirmed along the actual path a guest walks.
The setting for serving drink	The handling of wine and other drinks, and the bearing with which they are served. Touching the vessels, one learns a hand that makes no sound.

Every setting continues directly into the work of the Manor

Every setting continues directly into what a butler actually does at the Manor. The hand learned at the school appears, unchanged, above a guest’s table.

After the exam

The practical examination, and what remains in the hand

Sitting the practical examination

Each course of study closes with an examination in which the hands actually move. Rather than answering with knowledge, one lays a table, serves a drink and receives a guest. Passing it is the condition of certification.

Certification, and what stays in the hand

Those who pass receive a certificate and a pin. Certified Associate marks the ground of reply and the care of clothes, Certified Professional reaches the handling of drink and the running of an occasion, and Certified Master marks the judgement that holds a whole house together.

After the exam

How the certification is used, and what it does not promise

Used as proof of skill

The certification is used to show a third party, objectively, the level of skill a butler holds. A means of passing news of butler-related openings to those who have completed their study is described as being prepared.

It does not, however, promise a post

The Academy states plainly that certification shows a level of skill and does not guarantee a place of work. The butlers serving at the Manor are those who completed their study and then chose their own path.

Three forms

The learning advances as three forms woven together

From the Academy's official site. An instructor speaking from a book while seated students take notes.

Lecture

It begins in the lecture room, with the reasoning

First, in the lecture room, one receives in words why a movement is made as it is. Knowing the reason before the hands move means one can judge for oneself when the scene changes. A butler at the Manor does not falter at the unforeseen because this is the order in which he learned.

From the Academy's official site. A student writing at a desk beside an instructor holding a book.

Textbooks

Fifteen textbooks, supervised by the Association

The materials are fifteen volumes supervised by the Japan Butler Association, set out as five each at foundation, applied and specialist level. They remain in the hand as reference long after study ends. The judgement of the butlers at the Manor agrees because they read the same fifteen.

Practice

Then the hands repeat it, as if it were the day itself

Last comes practice. The instructor takes the part of the guest and the student answers as the butler. The same scene is begun again and again until the body moves without thought. The unhesitating bow a guest receives lies at the end of that repetition.

Certification is proof of skill; it does not promise employment

Each course ends with a practical examination, and those who pass are conferred Certified Associate for Essential, Certified Professional for Advance and Certified Master Butler for Master. It is a private qualification set by the Association rather than a state one, and the certificate and pin badge may be used as proof of your level of skill to third parties.

Certification is a private qualification and promises no post

A scheme for passing on butler-related vacancies known to the Association to graduates is being put in place, but certification in itself does not guarantee a job. It attests skill; the path ahead is one you open yourself.

Corporate hospitality training is delivered by the same instructors

Alongside the main courses, the same instructors deliver hospitality and business-manner training for companies and organisations, on site or at the school. It is an educational programme grounded in the butler's hospitality craft and does not confer a butler's qualification on those who take it.

A natural next step for companies that have used the dining room

When a company that has held a meeting in the Manor's dining room later wishes to bring its own reception into line, this training is the natural next step. The angle at which a butler opens a door, or the height at which a business card is received, can be applied as a form of reception in any industry.

When enquiring, say first which of the two you are seeking

Because the main courses and corporate training have different doorways, it speeds guidance if you say at the outset whether you wish to learn as a butler or to bring your workplace's reception into order.

One of the places where the butlers it has taught stand is the Queen's Butler Manor

The Academy's main school and the Manor lie in the same part of Aomi. The conduct acquired in the classroom is put to use before a lady at the Manor's entrance, and whatever is noticed there goes back into the next class. That learning and duty pass back and forth under one Association is why this school's education never stays on paper.

From the Japan Butler Academy website: the main school in Odaiba, Tokyo

From the classroom to the door

The way of receiving that was taught becomes real only before the Manor's door. The meaning of the school and the Manor sharing a town lies in the shortness of that step.

The apprentice experience at the Manor is not the course itself

The Manor's apprentice experience puts you in full morning dress for three hours, touching on the bow, the stance and the handling of silver; it is not the Academy's course itself. If those three hours stayed with you, please proceed to the brochure and the free individual consultation. Intake dates and fees change, so the official website is where they are kept current.

The butlers of the Manor once sat in one of those six seats

The Manor's butlers, too, once sat in one of the six seats of this classroom. The bow that greets a lady at the Manor was redone at that angle many times before an instructor. To know the school is also to know the Manor's butlers.

What the Manor can tell you, and what to ask the school directly

The range covered here, set out plainly.

What can be told from the Manor

The arrangement in which the Association teaches and the Association certifies
The length, scope and certification of the three courses
The four pillars: a class of six, textbooks, certification and weekend attendance
The steps from brochure request to opening day
Corporate training, and how it differs from the Manor's apprentice experience

What to ask the school directly

Fees for each course and the size of transfer concessions
Opening dates and intake status
The names and careers of instructors
The details of application documents

Questions about the school most often asked at the Manor

Eight questions guests ask most often, answered from the side of the Manor. For intake dates, fees and anything currently open, the official site of the school is the latest word.

QIs the Manor's butler apprentice experience the same as the Academy's course?

No. The apprentice experience is a Manor service in which you spend three hours in morning dress learning the basic movements; the Academy is a school where you learn the butler's profession and gain the Association's certificate after a practical examination.

QCan a woman aim to become a butler?

Yes. Beyond a minimum age, nationality, gender and experience are not asked. The Manor, too, has female butlers in residence.

QCan I attend without leaving my job?

All classes are on Saturdays and Sundays, and preparation and review are done by on-demand video. It is built on the assumption that you keep your present post.

QCan I start from a higher course straight away?

Both Advance and Master contain the content of the courses below, so direct entry without experience is possible. Choosing the one that fits your goal gives you the range you need.

QWill I definitely work as a butler after completing?

Certification is proof of skill and does not guarantee employment. A scheme for passing on vacancies to graduates is being put in place.

QWhat facilities does the school have?

At the Aomi school in Odaiba there are six settings: service ware for laying a table, tea and coffee equipment, a room for the care of clothes, a room for repeated replies, an area for welcome and farewell, and the setting for serving drink. Visits are strictly by appointment, are accepted on weekdays without classes, and are described as taking about thirty minutes.

QWhere is the school, and can I visit?

At the main school at 2-7-4 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, about five minutes on foot from two Yurikamome stations. Tours, consultations and trial classes are by appointment only; brochure requests and consultations are free.

QWhere can I find the fees?

On the course list and comparison page of the official website, and in the free brochure. The buttons at the top and foot of this page lead to the official website.

Japan Butler Association

The body behind the school: it supervises the textbooks and confers the certification.

THE BUTLER

The butler service of the Association, in which butlers who learnt here come to homes and companies.

From the Japan Butler Academy website: a still life of gilt plates, a ribbon-tied scroll and a brass seal, symbolising certification

Butler Apprentice Experience

A doorway to three hours in a morning coat, touching on a butler's conduct at the Manor.

Reservation

Brochures and consultations are free. Go to the school's official website.

The three courses, fees and opening dates are on the Academy's own website. The Manor's apprentice experience is booked with Queen's Butler.

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