Meet Jorge

If you ask me where I am from, the honest answer is not just one place. I was born in Mexico, grew up in Montreal, Canada, and eventually made Japan my home. Mexico gave me my roots, Canada taught me to live among cultures and languages, and Japan changed the direction of my life.

My fascination with Japan began long before I lived here. In 2016, that interest brought me to Japan through the JET Programme. In the photograph above, I am kneeling beside the Canadian flag at our welcome at the Embassy of Canada in Japan—excited about what lay ahead, but unable to imagine how profoundly the journey would change me.

I was placed in Shirakawa-go, the UNESCO World Heritage village known for its gassho-zukuri farmhouses. Visitors often experience it for only a few hours; I was fortunate to call it home for three unforgettable years.

Living there was different from simply visiting. I experienced changing seasons, local festivals, ordinary school days and the relationships that form when you become part of a small mountain community. Shirakawa-go taught me that the most meaningful parts of a destination are not always the most obvious ones.

From Mexico to Montreal, Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa—the personal journey behind Horuworks.

When the JET Programme ended, I chose to remain in Japan. The path that followed was not always direct or easy, but every experience helped me understand the country more deeply and find the direction I wanted my life to take. Tourism was where history, culture, languages and my love of meeting people finally came together.

Today I live in Kanazawa with my Japanese family. I guide in English, Spanish and French, and I use Japanese to communicate with local communities, coordinate experiences and bridge the cultural differences visitors may encounter.

For me, guiding is not about pointing at monuments or reciting dates. I want to explain why a place matters. A good journey should leave you with more than photographs; it should give you a deeper understanding of the place and the people who call it home.

I founded Horuworks to create a travel company that is professional and reliable, but also personal, flexible and rooted in local culture. Having lived in Mexico, Canada and Japan, I understand both the excitement and uncertainty of entering a new country. My hope is to remove that distance, welcome people with care and keep building bridges between cultures—one journey at a time.