International Enquiries
Sessions away from the salon · Lectures, seminars and demonstrations
Shiatsu was created in Japan in 1925 by Tokujiro Namikoshi.
The same family, now in its fourth generation, receives guests on the mezzanine of the main building of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
Two kinds of request reach us from outside Japan that the reservation page cannot hold: a session somewhere other than the salon, and an invitation to speak or teach. This page is where those enquiries go. Nothing here is a price list and nothing here is a promise — each request is answered individually, and we say no when we cannot do it well.
Sessions away from the salon
We receive enquiries for a private shiatsu session somewhere other than the salon: a hotel suite or a residence in Tokyo, another city in Japan, or another country.
Dates, duration, the number of guests, travel and terms are arranged individually, on request. Please write to us before making any assumption about what is possible; the answer depends on the calendar at the salon and on the rules that apply where you are.
A session away from the salon is performed by Takashi Namikoshi, the third generation, or by Tomoya Namikoshi, the fourth, subject to availability.
What does not change with the setting: pressure applied with thumbs and palms only, no tools, no machines, no oils, and clothes stay on. All of our practitioners hold the Japanese national licence «あん摩マッサージ指圧師» (Anma Massage Shiatsu Practitioner).
What we need from the room: a quiet space, and either a firm surface at floor level or a table. We will tell you what is needed once we know where the session would take place.
Requests to specify the practitioner’s gender cannot be accommodated. Please take this into account before enquiring.
Lectures, seminars and demonstrations
Teaching outside Japan is not new to this family. Toru Namikoshi, the second generation, studied in the United States and led seminars abroad over many years; the Japanese word «SHIATSU» stayed in other languages largely because of that work. Takashi Namikoshi, the third generation, has introduced shiatsu abroad as well, including a lecture at a municipal hospital in Minsk, Belarus.
Schools, professional associations, hotels, companies, universities and conference organisers in Europe and the Americas are welcome to write to us.
We are willing to discuss a talk on the history of shiatsu since 1925, drawn from the records the family keeps, or a demonstration of the Namikoshi form. The other formats are a hands-on session for practitioners, a session for hotel or spa staff, and an interview for press and broadcast.
Lectures are given in Japanese or in English. For any other language, interpretation is arranged by the organiser.
Fees, travel, dates and the length of a programme are arranged individually, on request.
What we do not do: certify, accredit or license schools and practitioners; endorse another organisation or its curriculum; or take part in anything that presents shiatsu as a medical measure.
What to put in your enquiry
Which of the two this is: a session away from the salon, or a lecture, seminar, demonstration or interview.
City and country, and the venue if it is already decided.
Dates, or the range of dates you are working with.
For a session: how many guests, and how long.
For a lecture: who the audience is, how many people, and how long you want the programme to run.
Who we would be corresponding with, and in which language the event itself would run.
You may write in any language. We reply in English or Japanese.
How to reach us
By the English enquiry form: Reservations & Enquiries. Put «International» at the top of your message so it reaches the right desk.
By telephone: +81-3-3581-7354, in Japanese or simple English, 11:00–19:00 Japan Standard Time, every day of the year. Tokyo is UTC+9 and does not change with the seasons.
A written enquiry is easier for us to answer well than a phone call, because the reply usually needs a check against the calendar and against local rules.
Namikoshi Shiatsu Salon, Imperial Hotel Tokyo, main building, mezzanine. 1-1-1 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0011, Japan.
If you cannot find the salon when you arrive at the Imperial Hotel, please ask any member of the hotel staff for Namikoshi Shiatsu Salon and they will show you the way. You are welcome to ask in English.
If you are simply coming to Tokyo, no enquiry is needed for that: book a room at the salon on the reservation page, or call. Guests who are not staying at the hotel are equally welcome, and same-day booking is possible subject to availability.
→ Tokujiro Namikoshi, who created shiatsu in 1925 · The four generations · Namikoshi Shiatsu Salon
Shiatsu is a manual practice performed under the Japanese national licence «あん摩マッサージ指圧師» (Anma Massage Shiatsu Practitioner). It is not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment by a physician.