Play tennis under open skies, in Tokyo's leafy suburbs.

Absolutely. Many of our guests haven't held a racket in years — or ever. We adjust the session to your group, and Stuart can teach the basics in a fun, low-pressure way. If your group has mixed levels, we split the drills so everyone enjoys it.

We play. A rally is the best part of tennis, and the whole point of the session is that you get two hours of one — so our job is to read where your ball is going and put ours back where you can reach it, whatever level you play at. Coaching is not the default here. If you want pointers, ask on the day and you will get them: Stuart is a PTR-certified coach and has been teaching for decades. If you would rather just hit, we will just hit, and nobody will stop the rally to correct your grip. And if you would prefer we simply booked the court and stayed out of it entirely, we can do that for less — say so when you enquire.

Only as much as you want us to be. If there are four of you and you can keep a rally going between yourselves, the court is yours — four is exactly one doubles match, so nobody is sitting out and you do not need us making up the numbers. We are still there doing the rest of it: the court is booked, the balls are fresh, we will keep score or organise rotations if you want that, take photos, and point you at the best place to eat afterwards. When we are not playing we are just beside the court — courtside or in the clubhouse — near enough to open a fresh can of balls, take a photo or answer a question, and far enough to stay out of your game. We step on court when the numbers are odd, when the levels are far apart, or when somebody asks — not to look useful. And if you decide halfway through that you would rather just play among yourselves, say so. It will not offend us in the slightest.

Yes. A private session is one-on-one with Tomoaki or Stuart — two hours of uninterrupted hitting with someone who will keep returning the ball for as long as your legs hold out. If you'd rather play with others, say so when you write: if another group that week has a free place and is happy to share, we'll introduce you before anything is confirmed.

Comfortable clothes you can move in, plus a hat and sunscreen from May to September. Shoes are yours to bring: ordinary trainers will do, but tennis shoes are better — they grip the sand on an omni court properly and they support your ankle, so we recommend a pair if you have them. If you do not own any, ordinary trainers are genuinely fine. And if you would like to buy shoes — or any other tennis gear — while you are in Tokyo, tell us and we will introduce you to a shop. Working out where to buy it is not easy as a visitor. Most courts around Tokyo are omni: sand-filled artificial grass, springy underfoot and kind to the knees, and a genuine novelty if you have only ever played on hard courts. Please bring your own drink and a towel — we will tell you where to buy them near the court if you are arriving straight from your hotel. Balls and a racket we provide — just tell us when you book if you need one.

Please do — most travelling players prefer their own frame. But if you would rather travel light, use one of ours: either way the price is the same, so bring a racket or don't, whichever suits your luggage. We keep around six, strung and ready to play, running from easy beginner frames through to heavier ones an advanced player will be happy with. All are a standard grip 2 (4¼ inches) with a fresh overgrip on them, and we carry spares if you like it thicker. None of it costs extra.

Yes, if you plan ahead. Stuart strings at home, so if your frame needs fresh string before your session, he can take care of it. The catch is physical: the racket has to reach us before we play, which means posting it to us ahead of your trip or early on in it. Write to us as soon as you know, and we will agree the timing, the string and the cost with you before anything is done to your racket.

Our suburban courts are 30–50 minutes by train from Shinjuku or Shibuya. Normally we meet at the court itself: you get its name, address and step-by-step directions in English a few days ahead. If you are travelling by train and would rather not do the last stretch alone, just ask when you book — we will meet you at the nearest station and walk in with you. Either way, once your booking is confirmed we give you a phone number and a messaging contact you can reach us on that morning, so if a train is delayed or you take a wrong exit, you can just tell us and we'll wait.

Usually, yes. But these are suburban courts, and a few of them sit a little beyond walking distance. For those, the local way to arrive is a share cycle: you unlock a bike from a docking port using the HELLO CYCLING app, and it is about a ten-minute ride. If your court is one of these we will tell you well in advance, send you the details, and ask you to install the app before you travel — you rent and pay for the bike yourself, directly in the app. Riding a quiet suburban backstreet to a tennis court is, we think, a small pleasure in its own right.

We watch the forecast and contact you the day before. You choose: move to another day of your trip, switch to an indoor or covered court if we can find one, or cancel and pay nothing. Rain is never your fault and it will never cost you money.

We take it seriously — heatstroke is a real risk here in July and August, and visitors often underestimate it. In midsummer we schedule sessions for the morning or the early evening rather than the middle of the day, we build in proper shade breaks, and we will tell you before you set out where to buy drinks and ice near the court. Please bring more water than you think you need. If the forecast is genuinely dangerous we will say so and move your session, exactly as we would for rain. Playing through it is not something we will ask you to do.

Yes — tennis is a wonderful family activity. We carry junior rackets and softer, slower balls for younger players, which makes rallies possible almost immediately. Children under 12 should be accompanied by an adult, playing or watching.

Nothing at all is charged while we are still checking courts. Once your court, date and time are confirmed, we send you the total in writing with no additions afterwards — the price you are quoted is the price you pay, with nothing added on top. For now, payment is settled directly with us and we will tell you the available methods when we confirm; card payment through a standard online checkout is coming shortly. We never ask for card details by email.

Tell us as early as you can and there is nothing to pay — we would far rather reschedule you than lose you. Because we reserve a real court in your name, very late cancellations do cost us, so once we introduce online payment we will publish clear deadlines here before anything is charged. Until then every booking is arranged person to person by email and we will always tell you where you stand before you commit.

Because four players is exactly one doubles court. Nobody sits on a bench waiting for a turn — everyone is on court for the full two hours. In a big group lesson you spend most of the hour queuing, then hit a handful of balls fed from a basket. Here you rally with a live ball again and again, which is what genuinely improves your game and makes two hours disappear. Both of us play at NTRP 4.5 and step on court whenever numbers or levels need balancing, so there is always someone who can return whatever you hit. The cap counts players, not people: if some of your party would rather sit and watch, they are welcome and they do not count towards the four. The cap is also per court, not per booking. Travelling as a bigger group? That is no trouble — we book a second court, or a third, and keep the same four-per-court rhythm so that nobody sits out. Tell us your numbers when you enquire and we will put together a plan and a price for you.