PIKOTARO (AKA the Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen guy) is back with an ambitious new project: singing his way through each of Japan’s 47 prefectures.
Can you believe it’s almost been ten years since the iconic “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen” song? In celebration of this milestone, PIKOTARO is launching his “Prefecture Song” series, which sets out to musically capture all 47 prefectures of Japan in his unmistakable style.
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P is for Prefecture
Since August 2025, PIKOTARO has been releasing monthly EPs for his anniversary project Tottemo Release 80.8. The goal is to eventually have a grand total of 80 new songs (plus an extra 0.8?) by July 2026.
In addition, the sixth edition, Tottemo Release 80.8 (06), marks the start of the “Prefecture Song” series, PIKOTARO’s grand ode to Japan and the start of his mission to turn it into a “47-prefecture jukebox.”
Tottemo Release 80.8 (06) is a collection of nine tracks, beginning with “TO-DO-FU-KEN! (Opening Song),” a funky, clanky speedrun through all 47 prefectures with an interlude of classic Japanese instruments thrown in.
Moreover, it’s wacky, catchy, and definitely worth a listen if you’re trying to memorize the names of Japan’s prefectures.
The next seven “songs” spotlight Japan’s northern and Tohoku regions, with Hokkaido, Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Fukushima, Miyagi, and Yamagata being first up on the roster. PIKOTARO interprets the prefectures in an almost synesthetic manner, giving each one its own genre, color, and tone.
Furthermore, the tracks are more like fully produced soundbites than songs, with each one (save for “Yamagata-ken”) being less than a minute long. The album ends with “Chocolate, please!” to tie it all together, because who doesn’t love chocolate?
Power to PIKOTARO
The “Prefecture Song” series is expected to continue on within the larger Tottemo Release 80.8 project, tackling each region of Japan in turn and even planning collaborations with major artists. Additionally, Kosaka Daimaou, producer, comedian, and brain behind PIKOTARO, explains the story behind its inception:
Every time we visited different regions, we naturally ended up creating songs inspired by those places. At some point, PIKOTARO and I said, ‘Why not just make them all?’ This became another project within ‘Tottemo Release 80.8’. We want to sing these songs all across Japan – and eventually, the world.
Additionally, PIKOTARO’s legacy began with the 2016 viral hit “PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen)” that was picked up by international artists and global media outlets. With this, “PPAP” became the “shortest song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100” according to Guinness World Records.
After being the first Japanese artist in 26 years to break through the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, PIKOTARO attended the state banquet during Trump’s visit to Japan in 2017. He was appointed by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an official ambassador for the promotion of Sustainable Development Goals.
Of the “Prefecture Song” series, PIKOTARO simply says:
I just suddenly felt like singing the names of every prefecture across Japan – pico! So I sang them all – pico!
Source: Press Release
