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Pharrell Williams treks through Japan

Written by . Published: September 02 2011

Pharrell Williams is to backpack through Japan for boot brand Palladium's upcoming advertising campaign.


The N.E.R.D. frontman will trek through the Asian country wearing the label's footwear, and shoot a short film called Tokyo Rising, which will then be used for the company's print, online and TV commercials this autumn (11).

The documentary will follow the famed music producer on his journey as he explores the city's cultural landmarks and interviews locals about their resiliency and clean-up efforts following the nation's massive earthquake and tsunami, which killed nearly 30,000 people in March (11).

Palladium's Vice President of Marketing, Barney Waters, says, "Palladium's core message is about urban exploring and putting your boots on to find out what's beyond the tourist guidebook.

"Tokyo is one of the great cities of the world and we felt there was a whole layer of the city's story that wasn't being told in the aftermath of the natural disaster of 3/11. We wanted to go back and see for ourselves how the young creative class was dealing with the aftermath, and what their vision was for the vibrant future of Tokyo."

And hitmaker Williams can't wait to set out on the adventure: "I find great inspiration in Tokyo from the people. To me, the way that the Japanese people regard life and culture is completely unmatched. Tokyo is my second home and I jumped at the chance to come back and reconnect with friends during the exploration."

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