Private Gatherings & Anniversaries
Precious time for up to six, in a Manor arranged by a butler
About Private Gatherings & Anniversaries
A private gathering or anniversary celebration is a use of the Queen's Butler The Studio Manor in Odaiba for up to six close friends or family. Bring your own food and drink and spend the time in the dining room or the lounge, with a butler in attendance.
Beyond the double doors, a table for your party.
A private gathering is one where even the host can leave the welcoming to the butler and take a seat as one of the treasured company. When the French oak double doors of Queen's Butler open, a 2,286 mm yew table stands beneath the nine-light chandelier.
A birthday, a milestone celebration, a reunion after a long time. Gathered around what you have brought, with the silver bell as your signal, it is a time for conversation. The butler waits at a distance that does not interrupt, arranging glasses and plates when needed. If arrivals are staggered, those who come first are shown to the lounge while the butler keeps the door until the last guest arrives.
After the table, move to the wine-red sofa before the fireplace. You may also ask to take photographs in the study, or to watch treasured footage on the 120-inch screen. Before you change rooms, the butler checks where coats and gifts are placed and brings only what is needed to the next scene.
Ways to gather, for up to six
| Party size | Main rooms | How the seating is arranged | Suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | Study, lounge | At the desk or on the sofa, with space kept for a gift or a letter | A quiet personal milestone, or a day for photographs |
| Two | Study, lounge | Facing across the desk, or on the sofa where eyes can meet | An anniversary for two, a day to give a letter or a gift. The butler approaches only at the necessary moment |
| Three to four | Dining room, lounge | One end of the yew table used generously, so that everyone's face can be seen | Birthdays, gatherings of family or friends. A flow from the table to the sofa can also be arranged |
| Five to six | Dining room | Around the 2,286 mm table, with the positions of the guest of honour and the host decided in advance | Milestone celebrations, long-awaited reunions. The order of toasts and speeches is also asked at booking |
| Photographs | Gallery, study, lounge | Moving rooms during the gathering, with the butler tidying chairs, belongings and gifts | Group photographs, individual portraits, the moment a gift is given |
Gatherings are for a maximum of six. Please ask the butler to move the Manor's furnishings and to handle the silver and porcelain.
Three scenes within a single gathering
Welcome at the double doors
The butler greets you before the doors and takes your coats. Even the wait for your companions is part of the Manor's story.
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Conversation in the dining room
Beneath the chandelier and candelabra, gather around the food and drink you have brought. The butler arranges plates and glasses.
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A photograph before the fireplace
To close the gathering, a photograph against the wine-red sofa and the roses. The butler takes your phones and cameras to capture it.
Read moreWhat the butler arranges
- One butler in attendance, receiving guests by name and in order of arrival
- Chairs, table and small items arranged to the party size and the nature of the occasion
- Taking coats and belongings, and handing them over when you change rooms
- Handling glasses, plates, silver and porcelain, and adjusting their placement on the table
- Serving the food and drink you have brought, in the order you have told us
What you bring
- Food and drink themselves. Please bring what you enjoy
- Loud or open-flame entertainment. If you have such wishes, please consult us in advance
- Unattended use of the Manor. A butler waits within the same room
- Moving antique furnishings on your own
- Gatherings of more than six
Please tell us what you will bring and how the gathering will run when you book
| Party size | From one to a maximum of six. We ask the total number attending and, where children are included, their ages |
|---|---|
| The occasion | A birthday, a milestone celebration, a gathering of family or friends. Please also tell us the guest of honour and the mood you have in mind |
| Food and drink | What and how much, anything to be kept chilled, and anything to be served in a set order. We do not provide meals |
| Gifts | When they are to be given, and whether to place them at the table or keep them elsewhere. We also ask their size and number in advance |
| Photographs | Group photographs, individual portraits, the moment a gift is given. Please bring the camera or phone you will use |
| Film | Whether you wish to use the 120-inch screen, and the playback device you will bring. Time to check the content is included in the day's flow |
Neither too close nor too far. Only at the needed moment.
A gathering with a butler in attendance is one where he stays out of the centre of conversation and steps forward only at the needed moment to arrange seats and serve. He opens the door as your companions arrive, steps back once the seating is settled and approaches quietly when the silver bell rings. Keeping that distance is itself part of the art of service.
Both male and female butlers are with us. If you have a preference, tell us at booking and we confirm availability. A butler of the operating body, the Japan Butler Association, is always in attendance, and the Manor is never hired out unattended. He reads from your expressions whether you wish for conversation or to be left among yourselves, and adjusts where he waits.
If you have wishes for the order of speeches, the timing of photographs or the preparation for a film, tell us in advance. Before a gift is given, he clears a place for it; before a group photograph, he straightens the chairs and turns the roses. Rather than adding anything showy, the butler prepares so that the precious moments already in the day arrive without a hitch.
A studio with a butler
From enquiry to farewell
Tell us the occasion
A birthday, a milestone celebration, a gathering of family or friends: please tell us the date and time, party size and the nature of the occasion.
Tell us what you will bring
We ask about your food and drink, gifts, film and anything you wish to use for photographs.
Decide the seating and the flow
Choose among the dining room, the lounge and the study, and we set out the timing of toasts, gifts and photographs.
Come to 2-7-4 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo
In line with your expected arrival, the butler welcomes each of you in turn before the double doors and takes coats and belongings.
Be shown to your seats
The butler draws out the chairs and arranges what you have brought. Waiting in the lounge until everyone has arrived can also be arranged.
QHow many people can attend?
From one to a maximum of six. Please tell us the total number attending when booking. We suggest seating in the study, the lounge or the dining room to suit your party.
QCan we bring our own food and drink?
Yes, you may bring food and drink. We ask what and how much at booking, and the butler arranges plates and glasses. As we do not provide meals, please bring what you enjoy.
QIs the butler in the same room throughout the gathering?
The butler waits within the same room. When no service is needed, he withdraws to a distance that does not interrupt conversation. When the silver bell rings or you call, he brings what is needed to the table.
QCan we ask for commemorative photographs?
The butler takes your camera or phone and helps with photographs. Please tell us in advance the scenes you wish to keep: the group photograph, the moment a gift is given, a portrait before the fireplace.
QIs it suitable for a family gathering with children?
Please consult us. As the Manor is furnished with antiques, tell us ages and numbers when booking. The butler advises where to sit and how to move within the Manor, and explains which items may be touched as you go.
QMay we request a female butler?
Both male and female butlers are with us. Tell us your preference at booking and we confirm availability. Every butler supports the whole gathering, from reception and service to photographs and farewell.
About using The Studio
- The manor is never let unattended. A butler is present for every booking, and keys are not handed over
- You are welcome to bring your own food and drink. We do not provide meals
- Please use the antique furnishings under the butler's guidance. The armour, hall clock, porcelain and silver are handled by the butler
- Please consult us in advance about loud sound or the use of naked flames
- Prices shown include tax
About bringing food and drink
- You are welcome to bring your own food and drink
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Bring your treasured company to the Manor.
Please tell us the date and time, party size, the occasion and what you will bring. Our butler will arrange the seating and the flow of the day.