A 120-inch screen lowered in the fireplace room and a guest watching a film from the sofa

The Salon — Experience V

The Salon Theatre

The butler lowers the lights and brings your drink.

Queen's Butler — Definition

About The Salon Theatre

The Salon theatre is the time when a floor-standing, motorised 120-inch screen rises in the fireplace room and you watch a streamed film or programme. Seating is free; choose whichever seat you like. The butler sets the lights, the sound, drinks and blankets, and waits at the distance you prefer during the screening.

Screening

From choosing the film to the lights coming back, the butler shapes five scenes

The hall clock and sofa in the fireplace room

Choose what to watch

You may choose the film after arriving at the house. If you would like tea or time to relax before or after the screening, please tell the butler at the start.

You are shown into the fireplace room

A room of wine-red velvet sofas, the fireplace, roses and a chandelier. Seating is free, so please choose whichever seat you like.

The 120-inch screen rises from the floor

The butler operates the floor-standing motorised screen, which is normally hidden against the wall. The screening begins with the moment the great screen rises in silence.

The butler sets the lights and sound

The chandelier is lowered, leaving the fire and the light needed at your feet. The sound starts low and is adjusted as the butler asks how it reaches you.

Your drink is placed, and the butler withdraws to the right distance

Drinks are set within easy reach and clear of the screen. The butler may wait nearby or withdraw to the anteroom.

Equipment

The theatre set-up

Screen

AWOL VISION MW-F220

A 120-inch (16:9) motorised, floor-standing, free-standing screen. The white matte surface rises from a case on the floor.

Projector

Valerion VisionMaster Max

A 4K laser projector. 3,500 ISO lumens, HDR10+, optical zoom 0.9 to 1.5:1.

Sound

JBL BAR 1300M2

An 11.1.4-channel soundbar with 29 drivers. Dolby Atmos / DTS:X.

The round table and chairs in the fireplace room

How to watch

Content and your own devices

Content	Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, U-NEXT, YouTube, ABEMA and Disney+ are available.
Your devices	Smartphones and PCs connect via HDMI or AirPlay.
Lights and volume	Set by the butler.

Equipment

The butler brings the 120-inch screen and the sound into the fireplace room

Screen

120-inch motorised screen

A floor-standing, motorised rising screen. When not in use it is hidden against the wall; when the butler operates it, it rises silently from its case on the floor.

Projector

A projector on a tripod

Mounted on a walnut tripod stand and placed where it sits naturally among the furnishings of the lounge. The butler checks the picture and positions it clear of your seat and your path.

Sound

Soundbar and subwoofer

The butler sets the sound to the picture. It is never loud from the start; the butler asks how it reaches each guest and chooses a level that leaves room for conversation.

120 inches

The 120-inch theatre turns the fireplace room into another scene for one evening

The Queen's Butler 120-inch theatre is a floor-standing motorised screen that rises silently from the wall of the fireplace room, showing films and streamed programmes amid the antique furnishings. When not in use it disappears, and the room returns to the salon it was.

The picture comes from a projector on a walnut tripod stand, and the sound from a soundbar and subwoofer. Rather than putting the equipment on show, the butler checks positions and lighting so that the screen, the fire and the sofa become a single scene.

The chandelier is not switched off all at once; the butler finds the point between a darkness that suits the picture and a light by which you can reach for your cup. Leaving the light you need at your feet is also the butler's task.

See the fireplace room

The sofa and roses in the fireplace room as the 120-inch screen rises

The dining room: yew table and chairs beneath a chandelier

Equipment

Lights, sound, drinks and seating: how much may you ask for?

Lights	The butler lowers the six-light 1920s French chandelier, leaving the fire, the candlesticks and the light needed at your feet. To change it midway, ring the silver bell.
Sound	The butler starts low and adjusts as they ask how it reaches each guest. Where you wish to talk, voices are kept audible.
Drinks and blankets	Placed by the butler within easy reach, clear of the screen and of its rising. Refills may be requested with the silver bell.
Free seating	Choose any seat you like, centred on the wine-red velvet sofas. With several guests, the butler checks everyone's sightline and the path at their feet.
Distance during the screening	Choose whether the butler waits nearby or withdraws to the anteroom. The butler on duty remains in the house and answers quietly when the bell is rung.

The equipment and attentions the house prepares

The butler operates the 120-inch motorised screen, projector, sound and lights
Sofas, blankets and drinks are arranged within reach and clear of the screen
Male and female butlers are in residence; the butler on duty waits nearby in the house or in the anteroom during the screening
For one to six guests, the butler checks that the screen is visible from every freely chosen seat and that the path at your feet is clear
After the film, the lights are brought back gradually, the screen and equipment stowed, and the next room or your departure prepared

What we ask of you

The house does not serve meals. You are welcome to bring your own food and drink
The butler handles the furnishings and equipment; please refrain from moving them yourself
The house is never left unattended during a screening; the butler waits at the appropriate distance within the house

Butler's view

The butler keeps a darkness and a sound that let you enjoy the film safely and undisturbed

Attending at the Queen's Butler theatre means answering your wishes quietly, along paths that never cross the screen. Before the film begins, the butler sets drinks and blankets, then waits nearby or withdraws to the anteroom. When the silver bell rings, the butler comes without passing in front of the picture.

Too dark, and you cannot see your feet; too bright, and light falls on the 120-inch screen. The butler checks the fire, the candlesticks and the chandelier one by one, leaving enough light for you to reach for your cup.

Queen's Butler is run by the Japan Butler Association. The butlers who serve in the house handle the 120-inch motorised screen, the sound, the lights and the furnishings to create a scene in which you can give yourself to the film. Even after the screen goes dark, the butler does not hurry to ask your impressions, but guards the afterglow until your gaze returns.

See the overnight stay

The fireplace and Rococo sofa in the fireplace room

QDo I need to decide on a film in advance?

No, you may choose after arriving at the house. If you would like tea or time to relax before or after the screening, please tell the butler at the start of the day, and the screen and seating will be arranged to suit the flow of your stay.

QDoes the butler watch the film with me?

During the screening, the butler either waits nearby or withdraws to the anteroom, as you prefer. The film is left undisturbed, and the butler comes when the silver bell rings.

QMay I use the theatre on my own?

Yes, you may enjoy the 120-inch screen on your own. Seating is free, so choose whichever seat you like. The butler sets drinks and a blanket within reach.

QHow many friends may watch with me?

Up to six guests may join you. Seating is free, so everyone may choose the seat they like. The butler checks everyone's sightline and the paths at their feet, and leaves room for the drinks.

QMay I bring food and drink?

Yes, you are welcome to bring your own food and drink. The house does not serve meals. Please tell us what you will bring when you book; the butler places it away from the screen and the furnishings.

QCan I watch during an overnight stay?

Yes, a screening can be fitted into the hours from 20:00 to 9:00 the next morning. Afterwards the butler brings back the lights and prepares the bedroom and a bedtime cup of tea.