Gyms, studios and coaching
Trainers, studios and instructors selling sessions, blocks and seasonal courses. Explore suggested settings for 26 types of business, including appointment lengths, time between bookings, payments and considerations for operating in Japan.
Yoga studios#
A timetable of classes at fixed times rather than a rolling calendar, plus private sessions that are genuinely one to one.
| Duration | 60 or 75 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 2 hours, so somebody can still book the evening class at lunchtime |
| Time between appointments | 15 minutes after, to air the room |
| Location | In person, or video for private sessions |
| Payment | Paid online — a prepaid mat is a mat that turns up |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 12 hours before, none inside that |
Suggested booking questions: Have you practised before? · Any injuries we should know about? · Do you need to borrow a mat?
Class packs are the normal way to buy yoga here, and Business Box charges per booking rather than selling passes. Sell the pack yourself and use invite links for the sessions, or price each class online — both work, and the second is simpler.
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
Private yoga instructors#
You travel to the client or teach online, so the schedule is shaped by journeys between addresses rather than by a studio timetable.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Time between appointments | 45 minutes after, for travel |
| Location | Video, or in person at the client’s address |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Personal trainers#
The same clients in the same slots every week, either side of the working day, with an introductory consultation for new clients.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Time between appointments | 15 minutes after, to reset equipment |
| Max bookings per day | Six or seven sessions a day is the ceiling |
| Location | In person, or video for programme reviews |
| Payment | Consultation free, sessions paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before, none inside — your hour was held |
Suggested booking questions: What are you training for? · Any injuries? · Which gym do you use?
Gym-floor rules differ: some Japanese gyms do not allow outside trainers at all. Put the gyms you can train at in the description, because it is the first thing a prospective client needs to know.
Pilates and reformer studios#
Session availability depends on the number of reformers and the time needed for each client.
| Duration | 50 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 4 hours |
| Time between appointments | 10 minutes to wipe down and adjust springs |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: Have you used a reformer before? · Any injuries or recent surgery? · Pregnant?
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
Barre studios#
Timetabled classes with a hard capacity, mostly booked the same day.
| Duration | 55 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 1 hour |
| Time between appointments | 15 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 12 hours before |
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
Dance studios#
Two businesses in one diary: classes by level on a weekly timetable, and studio hire by the hour when no class is running.
| Duration | 60 or 90 minutes for a class, hourly for studio hire |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 2 hours |
| Time between appointments | 15 minutes between bookings |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online for both |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before for hire, 12 for a class |
Suggested booking questions: Which level? · Have you danced this style before? · Shoe size, if you need to borrow
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
Ballet schools#
Children in graded classes by age, booked by a parent for a whole term rather than a session.
| Duration | 45 to 75 minutes by age group |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| How far ahead customers can book | 120 days, so a term can be booked at once |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: Child’s name and age · Previous experience · Emergency contact
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
Street and hip hop dance#
Evening and weekend classes almost exclusively, with drop-ins booked on the day.
| Duration | 90 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 1 hour |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 12 hours before |
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
Salsa, tango and ballroom#
Private lessons are booked by couples, so two diaries have to agree and evenings carry everything.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: Booking as a couple or on your own? · Which dance? · Any experience?
Pole and aerial fitness#
Equipment-limited like reformer Pilates, with a compulsory beginners’ session before anyone joins a general class.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 4 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: Have you done this before? · Any shoulder or wrist injuries?
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
Martial arts dojos#
Members train on a fixed weekly timetable, but the booking that matters commercially is the free trial class that turns a visitor into a member.
| Duration | 90 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 4 hours |
| Max bookings per day | Trials a day, so beginners get attention |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Trial free, then membership handled outside the booking system |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable to a free trial |
Suggested booking questions: Any previous experience or grade? · Age · Would you rather watch first?
Foreign residents looking for karate, judo, aikido or kendo want to know whether instruction is in English and whether visitors may simply watch. Both belong in the description; both are the actual question behind the booking.
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
BJJ and MMA gyms#
Open mat and structured classes at set times, with trial sessions and a waiver that has to be signed before anyone steps on.
| Duration | 90 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 2 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Trial free or a small mat fee in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Suggested booking questions: Experience level · Any injuries? · Do you have a gi?
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
Boxing and kickboxing gyms#
Personal pad work sold by the half hour alongside group classes, with the trainer as the bottleneck.
| Duration | 30 or 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 4 hours |
| Time between appointments | 10 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 12 hours before |
Muay Thai gyms#
Twice-daily training, morning and evening, with a long empty stretch in the middle of the day.
| Duration | 90 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 2 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person or online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 12 hours before |
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
CrossFit boxes#
Hourly classes on the hour all day, capped by the equipment and by how many the coach can watch at once.
| Duration | 60 minutes, on the hour |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 1 hour |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online for drop-ins, membership outside the system |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 6 hours before |
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
Climbing and bouldering coaching#
Coaching sold on top of a gym entry fee, so the customer is paying two people for one visit.
| Duration | 90 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Location | In person, at the gym named in the description |
| Payment | Coaching paid online, gym entry in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: Grade you climb · Bouldering or rope? · Do you have shoes?
Swimming instructors#
Pool lane time dictates the schedule entirely — you can only teach when the lane is yours.
| Duration | 30 minutes for children, 45 for adults |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Max bookings per day | Whatever the lane booking allows |
| Location | In person, at the pool |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Use a separate availability schedule matching your pool’s lane hours, and point only the swimming event types at it. Your other work keeps its own hours.
Tennis coaches#
Court-dependent and weather-dependent, with a rain policy that the cancellation terms have to reflect.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Location | In person, at the court |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 12 hours before; rain cancellations refunded in full by you |
Golf coaches and simulator bays#
Bay time and coaching time are the same booking, and evenings after work are the only hours that genuinely sell.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 4 hours |
| Max bookings per day | One per bay |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Ski and snowboard instructors#
A four-month season, booked months ahead from other countries and other time zones, sold in half-days and full days rather than hours.
| Duration | Half day (3 hours) and full day (6 hours) as two event types |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 48 hours |
| How far ahead customers can book | 365 days, because guests book with their flights |
| Max bookings per day | One group per instructor per day |
| Location | In person, meeting point in the description |
| Payment | Paid online in yen before the lesson is confirmed |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 14 days before, 50% inside 7 days, none inside 48 hours |
Suggested booking questions: Ability level of each person · Ages · Which resort and where are you staying? · Do you need rental gear?
Niseko, Hakuba and Nozawa run almost entirely on advance bookings from Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Close the whole green season with date overrides rather than leaving an empty calendar that looks broken.
Surf instructors#
Conditions decide the day, so a booking is a promise to teach if the sea allows and a promise to refund if it does not.
| Duration | 120 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Location | In person, at the beach |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before; conditions cancellations refunded in full |
Scuba instructors and dive shops#
Certification courses run over consecutive days, so the booking is really a block of mornings rather than a single slot.
| Duration | Half day for a fun dive, a separate multi-day event type for courses |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 72 hours |
| How far ahead customers can book | 270 days |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online in yen |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 14 days before, 50% inside 7 |
Suggested booking questions: Certification level · Date of last dive · Do you need equipment?
Okinawa and the Izu peninsula sell to visitors who book before they fly. Ask for the certification level and last dive date on the form — it decides which boat they can go on.
Running and triathlon coaches#
Mostly remote programme reviews with occasional track sessions, so two location types in one diary.
| Duration | 45 minutes for a review, 90 for a track session |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Location | Video for reviews, in person for sessions |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Cycling coaches and bike fitting#
A bike fit is a three-hour appointment with the customer’s own bike, which is a different product from coaching.
| Duration | 180 minutes for a fit, 45 for a coaching call |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 48 hours |
| Location | In person for fits, video for coaching |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 72 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: Bike make and model · What problem are you trying to solve? · Current saddle height, if you know it
Kids’ sports classes#
Parents book, children attend, and the form has to collect a child’s details and an emergency contact that are not the booker’s.
| Duration | 50 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| How far ahead customers can book | 120 days |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: Child’s name and age · Emergency contact · Allergies or conditions
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
Gymnastics coaching#
Apparatus and spotting ratios cap the class long before the floor does.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Business Box books one party per time slot, so several customers cannot sign up for the same class individually — the first booking takes the session. It fits private sessions, trials and one-to-one teaching today. See what that means for group classes. Group booking limitations
Start taking bookings online
The Free plan includes booking pages, Google Calendar and Outlook connections, working hours, Japanese holiday settings and booking on your website. No credit card is required, and there is no time limit. The Paid plan is ¥1,200 per month including tax and adds online card payments, team bookings and LINE integration. Business Box charges no booking commission; Stripe processing fees apply separately.
Last reviewed 16 October 2026.