Japanese YouTube star, Piko Taro, has promised to write a song to promote Uganda’s tourism, having been appointed by the Ugandan government as a tourism ambassador to help boost the number of Japanese travelers to the country.
At the just-concluded Giants Club conference in Kampala, President Yoweri Museveni asked Piko Taro, best known for his hit viral song ‘Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen’, if he is a ‘Samurai’ (a member of a powerful military caste in feudal Japan). The Japanese responded that he is a ‘singer-songwriter’ and drew laughter from the attendees with a performance of the song, also known as ‘PPAP’.
Piko, who will serve in this capacity over the next year said: “Uganda has fantastic weather and tasty food. It is a great country to visit for those who want to spend a relaxing time.”
According to the singer, he met with members of the Ugandan national soccer team on Thursday and taught them how to do the PPAP dance so they can perform it after scoring a goal.
The singer is popular in Uganda, with PPAP topping the local charts in October last year, said an official from Piko Taro’s management office Ave.
