Your First Day at the Salon

IBefore booking, it is enough to decide three things: date and time, party size, and mood

A first reservation at Queen's Butler is not a matter of submitting a finished plan for the day to your butler.

Visitor reservations are accepted from seven days in advance. You may choose one thing, such as tea, relaxation, the theatre or a commemorative photograph, or simply leave it to us. If you have a preference for a gentleman or lady butler, an age range, or a particular Buddy, please note it on the form. We confirm availability before advising.

If you plan to bring refreshments, tell us what they are and how you would like them handled. You are welcome to bring food and drink, but the Manor does not serve meals. So that your butler can confirm in advance what can be accommodated, please share any allergy information at the time of booking.

IIDress as you usually would; bring only what suits your plans

Dress is not a qualification for entering the Manor, but a choice for your own comfort. There is no dress code, so please come in your everyday clothes. If you would enjoy dressing to suit the atmosphere of the Manor, you are welcome to bring a change of clothes.

You may come empty-handed. Bring only what you need for the time you wish to spend: a book, a letter, papers for work, sweets or drinks. Your butler takes your belongings into care and brings them to you when needed. For an overnight stay, a change of clothes and toiletries are a good guide.

For footwear inside the Manor, please follow your butler's guidance on arrival. If you use the bed, we explain the arrangements on the spot. If you bring large luggage or anything requiring careful handling, let us know at booking so that a place can be prepared in advance.

Books and letters are part of the day too

If there is a book you wish to continue in the Study, a letter you wish to write, or papers you wish to sort in peace, please bring them.

IIIOn rainy days, your butler takes your wet coat and umbrella

A rainy-day visit begins at the same door as a fine one, with your butler first receiving whatever is wet. We take your umbrella, coat and luggage in turn and, if you wish, allow time to compose yourself before leading you inside.

If you would like to attend to your shoes or hair, we show you to the washroom and dressing table. There is no need to go straight to your tea on arrival. Until your breathing settles, your butler waits without hurrying you. If you have any wishes about the handling of your clothes or belongings, mention them as you hand them over.

If you had planned an outing, you may switch to time inside the Manor according to the weather. Your butler will tell you the options that can be arranged on the spot: reading, the theatre, a commemorative photograph. Changing your plans is itself one way of spending the day at the Manor.

IVAt the double doors, await your butler's welcome at your reserved time

Your visit begins when you reach the Manor at 2-7-4 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, and are received by your butler before the double doors. At your reserved time, your butler opens the doors, bows and greets you: "We have been expecting you."

If you arrive early, we may not be able to open the doors until the Manor is ready. If your timing is likely to change significantly, please let us know by email as soon as you can. Because the Manor is prepared for one party at a time, your butler is arranging the lamps, silver, porcelain and seating in the hours before and after.

Once the doors open, there is no need to pause and think about etiquette. Simply step inside as your butler guides you. Hand over your coat, umbrella and luggage, and proceed along the gallery. If the armour or the longcase clock catches your eye, you are welcome to stop and look.

VOver the first cup of tea, your butler senses the distance the day calls for

The first cup of tea at Queen's Butler is not merely a drink brought to you; it is the time in which your butler quietly senses your mood and the distance you wish to keep. Whether you would enjoy conversation or first wish to settle alone, we read from your words and the movement of your hands.

In the Dining Room, the silver and porcelain are arranged and your butler pours the tea from the pot. There is no need to worry about which hand should take the cup or when to drink. Your butler sets it in the easiest position to take and hands it to you with care for the heat.

When asked what you would like, there is no need for a detailed plan. A word such as "quietly", "I'd like to talk" or "I'd like a photograph" is enough for your butler to consider what to prepare next. Simply continuing with your tea, undecided, is a perfectly good choice.

The cup is set where it is easy to take

Your butler notes the direction of the handle and the distance from your hand, and places the cup where you can take it naturally.

VIOne ring of the silver bell reaches your butler

The silver bell is the means of calling your butler when they have withdrawn to the anteroom. There is no need to ring hard or repeatedly; let a single clear note sound. Your butler hears it, composes their appearance and attends you.

Please call for the smallest thing: another cup of tea, a rug for your knees, a book, the lighting, the way to the washroom. There is no need to hold back because it seems too small to ask. Waiting in readiness so that you never have to rise and search is part of your butler's care.

When your butler is at your side, call by voice or by a glance. If you would rather not interrupt a conversation, simply wait to catch their eye. Watching your hands on the table and the movement of your gaze, your butler keeps a distance that is easy to ask from, without anticipating more than is needed.

Another cup of tea, or a single rug for your knees: ring the silver bell.

VIIAlone, as a pair, or with up to six, your butler's position changes

A different party size means, in the same Manor, a different flow of conversation and a different place for your butler to stand. Alone, we withdraw a little further to preserve the quiet; as a pair, we take care not to interrupt; with several guests, we choose a path that reaches everyone's hands with ease.

Alone, you may choose rooms at your own pace: reading in the Study, gathering your thoughts before the fire, resting on the bed. You may change between time for conversation with your butler and time to yourself as you go. With the bell, you can call your butler whenever you wish, even when they have withdrawn.

With two or more, your butler arranges the seating and the order of pouring on the spot. If you share your purpose, whether a celebration, conversation among friends or a commemorative photograph, we can move so that no one is kept waiting. Ordinary visits are for up to six guests; the overnight stay is for one guest only.

VIIIIn any scene of the Manor, your butler will take a commemorative photograph

A commemorative photograph at Queen's Butler means your butler taking your camera or smartphone and capturing you as you are that day, together with the scenery of the Manor. Tell us the places that appeal to you: the leather chair in the Study, before the fire, beside the armour.

There is no need to interrupt your time in order to take photographs. Your hands receiving a cup, your profile as you read, a bow before the door: your butler finds the moments worth keeping within the flow of the day. If your butler is to appear in the photograph, please confirm their consent before shooting.

If you wish to set up lighting and photograph in earnest, we introduce you to the Studio. At the Salon, a commemorative picture is taken as part of your time; where photography itself is the main purpose, please see the facilities and terms of the Studio.

In any scene of this Manor, your butler will take a commemorative photograph.

We do not stop time for a photograph

The expression as you spoke, the moment you reached for your tea: your butler keeps these as the memory of the day.

IXPayment and confirmations can be settled at your ease

Payment is the confirmation of the fee for the hours, party size and category fixed in your reservation. We accept cash, credit card, electronic money and QR code payment, and your butler confirms the amount and the method with you.

If your visit has changed, we confirm how extensions or changes in party size are treated before proceeding. Rather than leaving anything unclear, please ask your butler what each amount is for. Members may also confirm the hours used and how the remainder is treated.

For cancellation or changes of date, a cancellation policy based on 30 days' notice applies. If you are thinking of a next visit, there is no need to decide on the spot. Simply tell us the period you have in mind and apply again through the form.

XBefore you leave, your belongings are returned and your butler bows outside the door

Leaving Queen's Butler begins a little before your time ends, when your butler lets you know, checks your coat and luggage, and sees you out through the double doors. Rather than cutting time short, we allow a moment for the page you were reading or the cup you were finishing.

Your butler returns your belongings in order and checks the Manor for anything left behind. On rainy days, we set your umbrella so it is easy to take and tell you the weather outside. Transfers to Tokyo Teleport Station and the other points are arranged as confirmed at booking (a service included with your plan).

Even after you step outside the double doors, your butler bows a final farewell. If there is anything you noticed on your first visit, or a way of spending time you would like to try next, tell us on the spot or later through the form. Until the doors close, it is the duty of the butler who served you that day.

Until your coat is returned and your butler bows outside the door, you are attended.