First Time Hiring a Butler
New to butler service? What a butler can do, what it costs, and how to get started — we answer every question here.
Know, Hire, and Learn from a Butler
"What can I ask a butler to do?" "How do I make a request?" "Do I really need one?" — first-time visitors to a butler service naturally have questions like these. It is not only for the very wealthy; it is a surprisingly accessible option you can begin with a single 3-hour booking.
This page brings together everything a first-time visitor wants to know — what a butler is, the butlers on our staff, pricing, what past clients say, real use cases, and the history of butlers — organized into six chapters. Start with "What Is a Butler?" just below and read through in order; you can choose any topic to explore further from the guide at the end of the page.
THE BUTLER is not only a place to hire a butler. First, know — understand what a butler actually is and what a butler does; next, hire — check the pricing and process of the service that brings a genuine butler to your home or event; and then, learn — even when you are not hiring one, you can touch the culture itself through the history of butlers, the manners of a butler, and a dictionary of butler terms. All three doors are open to those visiting for the first time.
What Is a Butler?
1. What Is a Butler? — Understanding the Role
A butler is a professional who oversees every aspect of your daily life. Rather than performing individual chores or serving at table, a butler maintains the dignity of your space, creates time, and arranges the environment itself so you can focus on what truly matters — that is the essence of a butler. The All Japan Butler Association trains "Japanese butlers" who blend Western butler tradition with Japanese omotenashi hospitality, delivered to homes and businesses as THE BUTLER.
1.1 What does a butler do?
From welcoming and serving guests to daily housework, schedule management, shopping and driving, and even support with asset management — a butler’s remit does not fit into a single job title. The work of a butler is to survey the whole of your life and arrange what is needed before you ask.
1.2 How it differs from a maid or secretary
Where a maid specialises in the "tasks" of housework and a secretary in the "duties" of the office, a butler oversees the whole across the line between home and business. Rather than doing what is asked, a butler notices and acts before a word is spoken — that proactivity is what makes a butler a butler.
1.3 What first-time clients should know first
Butler service is by no means a distant luxury. From a 3-hour spot booking to a resident contract, the entry points are wide. Start with the "What Is a Butler" page to grasp the full picture of what you can entrust to a butler.
Real, Working Butlers
2. Real, Working Butlers — A Range of Butlers on Staff
Only genuine butlers who have completed rigorous training and real-world experience serve at THE BUTLER. Founded in 1890, the All Japan Butler Association has spent over 130 years refining the standards a butler must meet before serving a client. From House Steward to First Footman, each rank carries clearly defined duties, and every butler brings a specialized skill such as English fluency or professional driving.
2.1 Rigorous training and a rank system
The butler’s world has clear ranks. With the House Steward — the top officer of a residence — at the summit, ranks are granted by experience and skill, and each displays dignified conduct in its post. Rank is a reliable guide when you choose a butler.
2.2 Both male and female butlers on staff
Our butlers are not only men. Many female butlers, whose strength is fine, attentive care, are active as well, and they are especially well received by female clients and households. You may specify a butler’s gender on request.
2.3 Profiles open on the butler roster
Each butler’s background, strengths, and creed are published on the butler roster. Rather than a faceless assignment, you compare profiles and choose "this is the person I want" — that is how THE BUTLER practises its philosophy, "an age when you choose your butler."
Accessible Pricing
3. Accessible Pricing — Starting from a 3-Hour Trial
You might picture an expensive, exclusive contract when you hear "butler," but THE BUTLER pricing follows a clear staircase structure: the longer you use the service, the lower the hourly rate. Try an easy spot booking first to experience a genuine butler, then deepen the relationship step by step — that is the order we recommend for first-time clients.
3.1 Guest Footman — from ¥26,400 for 3 hours
The most accessible entry is the spot-use "Guest Footman" from 3 hours. Party serving, guest reception, shopping accompaniment and more let you experience a genuine butler’s conduct on a single booking. Many first-time clients start with this plan.
3.2 Day Butler — from ¥66,000 for 8 hours
The "Day Butler" lets you keep a butler exclusively for a full day. It is chosen for occasions such as an anniversary welcome or a day with important guests, when "this one day must be perfect."
3.3 From monthly plans to a live-in butler
For ongoing use, we offer the 20-day-a-month Private Butler (from ¥748,000) and the 24/7 resident House Steward. A gradual move — confirming the fit on spot bookings before shifting to monthly — is flexibly accommodated.
What Our Clients Say
4. What Our Clients Say — Especially Useful for First-Timers
"Was it really worth it?" — the answer lies in the words of clients who have already used our service. From a professional butler supporting a family's daily life to a successful case at a reception party, we share honest feedback on our Client Voices page. If you are still deciding, read what those before you have said first.
4.1 Voices from ongoing home use
Households that welcomed a butler for an elderly family member’s daily support or everyday chores tell us "the family’s expression has brightened" and "I can now devote myself to work with peace of mind." A butler quietly supports the daily life of the whole family.
4.2 Voices from parties and events
For anniversaries and reception parties, we often hear "every guest was moved by the beauty of the conduct" and "though I was the host, I could focus on conversation." With a single butler present, the mood of the gathering truly changes.
Use Cases
5. Use Cases — A Butler Helps in Many Scenes
A butler's uses are more varied than you might imagine. From weddings and home parties to business meeting accompaniment, daily housework support, and hosting VIPs from abroad, we introduce scene-specific examples based on real requests on our Use Cases page. Picture a butler in your own daily life.
5.1 Cases at anniversaries and events
From birthday and wedding-anniversary dinner service to running a home party, we present many cases where a butler produced a special day. Because everything from preparation to clean-up can be entrusted, the greatest value is that the host truly enjoys the day.
5.2 Cases in business and daily life
You can also see cases of ongoing support — an executive’s schedule management and meeting accompaniment, or daily housework and shopping errands. Read alongside the glamorous spot cases, the real figure of the butler comes into fuller relief.
The History of Butlers
6. The History of Butlers — Touching 130 Years of Tradition
Behind THE BUTLER's service lies the long history of the butler profession — foreshadowed by the household managers of antiquity and established as a profession in medieval Britain — and more than 130 years of tradition built by the All Japan Butler Association, founded in 1890. Why can a butler be trusted? The answer is in that history — explore it before your first booking.
6.1 World butler history and the Japanese butler
Household managers of ancient Egypt are regarded as forerunners, yet the history of the butler as a profession begins in medieval Britain, where the "butler" — from the Old French "bouteillier", keeper of the bottles — was established as custodian of the wine and the cellar, before reaching its golden age in the Victorian era. It arrived in Japan in the Meiji period and has grown into a distinctive butler culture fused with the spirit of omotenashi.
6.2 The path of the All Japan Butler Association
Founded in 1890 by its first head, Shingo Tanaka, the All Japan Butler Association passed through postwar rebuilding and the 2000 east-west reunification, and in 2023 Butler Bell was inaugurated as its third-generation Todori (head). This depth of history is the very foundation of THE BUTLER’s quality.
Explore Further — Butler, Cases, Voices
What Is a Butler?
We explain the role of a butler, how it differs from a maid or secretary, and what you can ask a butler to do — answering the first question everyone has: "What can a butler actually do?"
Learn more →
Use Cases
From anniversaries to business and everyday life, see how our clients actually use a butler, organized by scene. Find the example closest to your own situation.
Learn more →
Client Voices
Read honest feedback and experiences from clients who have already used our butler service. Any doubts before booking are best answered by those who came before you.
Learn more →See Services and How It Works Together
Once you understand what a butler is, check our actual service lineup and the process for getting started. The right butler service for you is waiting to be found.
Contact Us
Please feel free to reach out with any questions or requests about our butler service. Our experienced staff will guide you carefully.