What is The Japan Butler Academy?
THE JAPAN BUTLER ACADEMY
The Academy is a butler training institution operated by The All Japan Butler Association. Based at a main campus in Odaiba, Tokyo, it is the only butler training school in Japan with a campus of its own, offering three programmes and an association-issued certification.
WHO WE ARE
The Institution Behind the Name
The Institution Behind the Name
In a single sentence: we are a specialist school that trains butlers and awards an association credential, operated by The All Japan Butler Association in Odaiba, Tokyo. This page sets out exactly who we are, from three angles: our parent organisation, our campus, and our role.
Name and Role: A Specialist Body That Trains Butlers and Awards Certification
The Academy is the name of a specialist body that teaches, in a structured way, the deportment, hospitality, and household management a butler's work requires. We are not a staffing or placement agency: we instruct students in the classroom and take them through to the practical examination on completion, at which point the association certification is conferred. If you have found us while searching for a butler school, this is the first point to confirm — we are the institution that does the teaching.
Our Parent Organisation: The All Japan Butler Association
The Academy is operated by The All Japan Butler Association. The Association's stated activities are butler training, the awarding of its certification, hospitality and business etiquette training for companies, and career support for graduates (in preparation). The Japan Butler Academy is the educational arm responsible for the first of these. Because the body that teaches and the body that certifies belong to the same association, what is covered in the classroom and the standard required for certification form a single system. Our representative is Yuichi Ishii (Butler Bell), third-generation chairman of The All Japan Butler Association.
The Campus: Our Main Building in Odaiba, Tokyo
In-person classes are held at our main campus in Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo — about a five-minute walk from either Tokyo International Cruise Terminal Station or Telecom Center Station on the Yurikamome Line. It is this main campus in Odaiba that makes The Japan Butler Academy the only butler training school in Japan with a campus of its own — and being a butler school you can actually visit is what defines us in practical terms. All visits are by appointment only, and we accept advance bookings for campus tours, individual consultations, and taster sessions.
PROGRAMMES
A Core Curriculum of Three Programmes
The Three Programmes
The core curriculum of The Japan Butler Academy consists of three programmes: Essential, Advanced, and Master. Because each higher programme contains the content of those below it, students normally enrol in a single programme. This page covers only how each programme is positioned; the schedules and fees are set out on the course comparison page.
Essential: The Foundation Programme
Foundations
The entry point, concentrating on the fundamental deportment and service protocols of a butler.
Advanced: The Applied Programme
Applied
Includes the full Essential content and goes further, into more advanced hospitality technique and specialist practical sessions. Complete beginners may enrol directly.
Master: Management and Crisis Response
Management and judgement
Includes the content of both Essential and Advanced, and completes the curriculum with management and crisis response. Direct enrolment is open to beginners here as well.
HOW CLASSES ARE HELD
How You Will Attend
The Shape of Our Classes
Three things define the shape of classes at The Japan Butler Academy: the days on which they are held, the size of each class, and the pairing of in-person teaching with on-demand video. Each was decided with one priority in mind — that those in full-time work can sustain their studies.
Weekend Scheduling
All classes take place on Saturdays and Sundays, so that students can attend at the weekend without leaving their current position.
Small Classes of Six
Each class is capped at six students — small enough for the instructor to review everyone's technique. The minimum number for a class to run is three.
In-Person Plus On-Demand Video
On-demand video lessons for preparation and review accompany the in-person classes on campus, so that time on site can be devoted to practical work and questions.
WHAT WE PROVIDE
What Completion Brings, and Training for Organisations
Certification and Corporate Training
What we put out into the world takes two forms: the certification conferred on our graduates, and the hospitality training we deliver to companies and organisations. They are different in nature, so we set them out separately to avoid any confusion.
Butler Certification from the Association
Each programme concludes with a practical examination, and those who pass are awarded the butler credential issued by The All Japan Butler Association. It is not a state qualification but a private one issued by the Association itself, and it is divided into three tiers. As a butler school in Japan, this is how we attest to the standard of the skills we have taught.
View certification details
Hospitality Training for Companies and Organisations
Teaching our core programmes is not all The Japan Butler Academy does. The same instructors also deliver hospitality and business etiquette training for companies and organisations, either on site at your premises or here at the campus. Note, however, that this is an educational programme grounded in butler hospitality skills; it does not confer a butler credential on participants.
View corporate trainingTHE FACTS
Location and Contact
Where to Find Us
Here are the essentials in a single table. Before visiting, please also check the class days and our appointment policy.
* Brochure requests and individual consultations are free of charge. Please book in advance before visiting.
FAQ
Questions About the Academy
Frequently Asked Questions
We teach the deportment, hospitality, and household management a butler requires, and confer the association certification on those who pass the practical examination on completion. The Academy is operated by The All Japan Butler Association.
Our parent organisation is The All Japan Butler Association. We are not a school corporation but a private butler training institution run by the Association, and the credential we award is likewise a private certification issued by the Association.
Our main campus is at 2-7-4 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo (Odaiba), about a five-minute walk from either Tokyo International Cruise Terminal Station or Telecom Center Station on the Yurikamome Line. Visits are by appointment only.
You may start with Essential, Advanced, or Master. Because each higher programme contains the content of those below it, choosing the single programme that matches your goal covers everything you need. Advanced and Master are also open to complete beginners.
Yes. Campus tours, individual consultations, and taster sessions are all available by appointment. Please book by telephone (03-6824-4086, weekdays 10:00-17:00), by email (info@butler-academy.jp), or through our contact form. Brochure requests and consultations are free of charge.
For anything not covered here, please use our contact form.
NEXT STEP
Learn a Little More About Us
Brochure requests and individual consultations are free of charge, and we also welcome visitors to the campus in Odaiba.
* Online consultations are also available.
LEARN MORE
Related Pages
Explore Further
What Is a Butler School?
Origins, history, and how butler schools are positioned in Japan and around the world.
What Is a Butler Training School?
A practical guide to the skills trained, the time and cost involved, and how to choose a path.
What Does a Butler Do?
Areas of work, an example of a day, and the qualities the role calls for.
Academy Overview
Our philosophy and a broader overview of the Academy, distinct from who we are on this page.
Philosophy & Principles
How we approach teaching and the principles that shape our instruction.
About the Association
Meet the parent organisation that operates the Academy and awards its certification.
Last updated: 25 July 2026