Introduction to Aspen Plummer

Hey guys, I am Aspen Plummer, a junior at Texas State University, digital media innovation major, semi-professional NBA2k gamer, summer river floater, casual electric guitarist, basketball hooper, and a simple, open-minded guy that wants to explore and see what the world has to offer.

I am a military brat and was stationed in Misawa Air Force Base in Japan when I was 10 years old. However, I didn’t appreciate it as much then as I would now and don’t remember it too vividly, either. I cannot wait to join the rest of my School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) team in visiting Japan for nine days straight. I’m looking forward to experiencing the culture, cuisine, architecture, and the many other different aspects Japan has to offer that the U.S. doesn’t because I didn’t even do that when I lived there for three years.

Places I’ve traveled

Mississippi
Hawaii
Jamaica
Japan
Mexico
Oklahoma
California

Experiences I’m most anticipating

I am most excited to experience how the people treat each other. We are all connected in one way or another, from us evolving from the big bang, God, or whatever you may believe, and it’s sad how America treats its own people a lot of the time. From what I learned from the CulturaGo Japan course module, respect and politeness are not taken lightly in Japan.

The other two things I’m also really interested in is seeing the Japanese temples and to taste yakisoba and cheese rolls again. I’ve always been intrigued with the uniqueness of design from the temples – it’s always caught my eye. And let me tell you, once you taste authentic yakisoba, you won’t even want to look at ramen in America again.

My music taste

Japan is the second largest music market in the world. They have J-rock and J-hip-hop, and I am a fanatic of American rock and hip-hop, so I’m hoping the Japanese counterparts will have somewhat similar vibes. I’m going to give them a genuine listen, even though I can’t understand them.