With countless spinoffs, parodies, and now commercials in Japan, the popular viral song “PPAP (pen-pineapple-apple-pen)” by Pico Taro took the world by storm in 2016. Talented artists and YouTubers mimicking covered it in various styles, and even Japan’s Sesame Street used the simplicity of the song for children's education.

Whether you've moved on from the video as distraction or still enjoy all the versions, Pico Taro didn’t create “PPAP” in just “a day”, a surprising lot of creative juices had to flow before the thing got put together. To double down on the effort involved, popular veteran Japanese singer and actor Masashi Sada has now produced a traditional Japanese musical version of PPAP with traditional instruments including taiko, shamisen, and flutes. The lyrics of the song are even sounded out in a style very similar to Kabuki actors.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.