2026/05/24 (Sun) The day I registered for the STUDIO Raku subscription piano studio

Since the piano studio is
available for a flat monthly fee (*with some restrictions on booking rules)
well...

I've been
interested in it for quite a while,
STUDIO Raku.

However, since there are currently only 4 locations
in the Yokohama area,
and I had no regular business taking me to Yokohama,
I had no plans to use it.

But surprise, surprise,
starting last month, for a limited time,
due to work,
it was decided that I would be able to
commute to this area.

Isn't this the perfect opportunity?
So,
I enthusiastically signed up
and decided to make use of it.

Honestly, it's no exaggeration to say
that I actively volunteered to participate in that project
because I was looking forward to this.
No... is that really an exaggeration?

Studio fees really add up,
so if I can keep costs down,
that's the best thing, right?
That's something every
broke musician thinks.

Unlimited studio time as much as you like,
it sounds like a dream,
but how is the actual usability!?

So,
I'd like to write a report
based 120% on my own subjective experience.

I haven't played every single piano yet,
but I have conquered all 4 locations.

The location, atmosphere, and instruments
are all different, which is interesting.
So I want to write
separate articles for each location.
Like a little series?
Please bear with me if you'd like.

Plan Selection Chapter

If you're only using it once,
you might not care too much
about the conditions...

but if you're using it long-term,
you have to read the rules carefully.

Terms of Serviceclearly state
'Cancellation is not permitted for 3 months from the initial month of enrollment.'
It's not like Netflix or Amazon Prime
where you can just quit whenever you want.
You're looking at a fairly long-term commitment.
First, choosing a pricing plan.


The most eye-catching thing is the
'6,980 yen per month!' label,
but this is only for the cheapest plan.
If you choose the plan where you can only use


upright (or no piano) rooms for 1 hour per booking,
it's 6,980 yen per month. Hmm.

However, if you want 2 hours per booking,
even for just upright (or no piano) rooms,
the price goes up to 11,980 yen per month. Oof.

If you choose the top-tier plan (as I call it)
which allows 2 hours per booking and
access to all rooms including grand pianos,
it's 14,980 yen per month.

For a 3,000 yen difference per month,
whether or not you can use a grand piano
changes.

I've rented many studios before
(read below ♡)

Skimping on the 3,000 yen difference
and not being able to use a grand piano
seems like a loss to me now, or rather,
conversely, if I just pay the 3,000 yen,
I can play grand pianos to my heart's content.

Wooooo!!!!!! Top-tier plan it is!!!!
(It's card payment, so not actual cash,
but imagine me slamming bills down in my head)
So, I signed up. Hehe☆

If I think that I'll want to practice more
because I paid the money,
isn't that also a good thing?I'm the one who chooses, and I'm the one who does it.

So, that means,
・Includes grand piano
・Can reserve up to 2 hours per booking
If you want those conditions,
it turns out it will cost
more than double the cheapest plan.

User Registration

For the initial registration, you can choose between two methods:

・Book a visit online in advance,
　and complete the membership process at the store after receiving an explanation

or

・Complete the application entirely online

You can choose between these two.

If you complete it online, you can start using it immediately from your desired plan start date.

I wanted to use it that very same day,
so the online application was my only choice.

The online application steps are:
・Enter and submit required information
・Register payment method and pay
・Set up your personal page for online booking
・Set up Akerun (the app for unlocking the studio door)

It's roughly like that.
Once you tap through all of these,
you can start using the studio right away.

I had some questions along the way,
so I sent them via the inquiry form,
but they responded quickly
(though it may depend heavily on the timing),
so I was able to get help right away,
which left me with the impression that
the management is very helpful.

That's about it.
As long as you do it one step at a time,
it wasn't that much of a hassle.

Online Booking

Now that the user registration is complete,
it's time for the long-awaited
studio booking!!!

Just tap away on your personal page online.
Checking and canceling reservations
is also easy and can be done right from your personal page.
Stress-free~~~.
Not having the hassle or burden of cancellations
is such a relief mentally. It makes me feel lighthearted.
Book easily, and if your plans change, just change the booking.
I'm so happy!!!

Also, surprisingly,
STUDIO Raku allows
as long as one person is registered as a user,
you can bring non-members along!
(However, in that case, the usage is
under the member's supervision and at their own risk)
So you can use one room with multiple people
for the price of one person.
Since there are no large rooms like band studios,
it is limited to small groups, but
I think this is really helpful.
You could split the monthly fee,
and I thought it was great because there are many ways to use it.

When making a reservation, with the 2-hour plan,
you can secure a slot for up to 2 hours,
but reservations are made one slot at a time.
Instead of selecting two slots at once to book,
you have to click through for each 1-hour slot twice.
This felt a bit unexpected to me,
as I was expecting to practice for 2 hours at once,
but come to think of it, there are people who choose the 2-hour plan
because they want to secure two 1-hour slots.
Also, by doing it this way,
you can quickly perform the action of
using 1 hour and then extending for another hour later.
I thought, 'I see.'

I can also choose from 4 studios right away.
And I can use any room I like (so exciting!)

On this first day, I had business in Hiyoshi, so
I booked the grand piano room at the Hakuraku branch
because it was a nearby location I could go to after that,
and it was a branch with a grand piano!!

Yes, at this stage,
the only places where you can play a grand piano
are the Kawasaki branch (only in the room without air conditioning) and the Hakuraku branch,
for a total of only two rooms.
When you think about that,
whether the monthly unlimited playing price is cheap or not
really depends on the person, doesn't it?
(There is also the 3-month commitment issue)
Upright pianos are available at all branches.
I also learned that popular times and popular rooms
tend to get booked up quite easily.

With that in mind,
I visited the Hakuraku branch,
tried out the unlimited-play grand piano,
and how was it?

I would like to write about that
in another article.

Next time, I want to write an article about
what I did in Hiyoshi before visiting the Hakuraku branch.
Look forward to it☆