Make java methods visible to only specific classes

Question

I have a manager class that is responsible for managing Objects of a certain kind. To do so it needs to manipulate these Objects, but these Objects have no relation to the m

Answer 1

As such I'd like to have the managers have access to manipulating methods, but restrict access to every other class. The most obvious one would be to move the manager class and object class into the same package and declare manipulating methods protected...

Technically, you would declare the manipulating methods package protected (no modifier at all). Protected methods allow the class to be extended easier.

but as the managers and objects are completly seperate entities they don't fit there philosophically.

I understand. Java doesn't have the "friend" declaration that C++ has.

You could comment the manipulating methods, but that doesn't solve your Eclipse problem.