Nobuhiro Tamura, 39, is a tour guide and retired Esoteric Buddhist monk with Shukubo Ekoin, a Shingon Buddhist temple on Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture. Tamura offers guided night tours of Okunoin Cemetery and opened Cafe and Bar Taira Koyasan in June of 2022. He hopes Taira will give both local residents and visitors to Koya a space to gather and relax — especially at night.
1. You speak fluent English, where did you learn? I studied in Manchester, U.K., from when I was 19 to 21 years old. I’m 39 now so this is like 20 years ago, but I also work as a guide and translator.
2. Why did you choose Manchester? I went there to study English and culture. I loved the Manchester music scene at the time, from Chemical Brothers to Joy Division. The hip-hop and techno scene was also big in Manchester.