Girls' Generation - 1st Japan Album

On June 1, 2011, they released their first full-length Japanese studio album, Girls' Generation. The album contained 12 songs, including "Genie", "Gee", "Run Devil Run" and "Mr. Taxi", as well as seven new songs. The album was promoted via the groups first Japan tour titled, The 1st Japan Arena Tour, which started in Osaka on May 31, 2011. A total of 14 concerts in 6 cities would be held over a period of a month and a half. Girls' Generation was certified Platinum (250,000) by Recording Industry Association of Japan on June 14, 2011, making it the fifth Korean artist's album to do so after S.E.S, BoA, TVXQ and KARA. Girls' Generation then was certified Double Platinum (500,000) on July 8, 2011, a first for any Korean girl group. The group also set a record for "recording the highest sales of the FIRST album as a foreign artist in Japan. Girls' Generation is the fourth artist to obtained number 1 spot on weekly album chart after BoA, TVXQ and Big Bang," and became the third Korean act to surpass the 500,000 mark after BoA and TVXQ. As a result of their rising popularity, Girls' Generation became the highest earning foreign artist in Japan for the first half of 2011. By the end of 2011, the album had sold over 728,000 copies. The album was re-packaged, as "The Boys" on December 28, 2011.

Run Devil Run Japanese

On March 8, SM Japan updated their official website with information about the release of Girls' Generation third Japanese single and their first Japanese tour. It was stated that on April 27, Girls' Generation would be releasing their third Japanese single Mr. Taxi / Run Devil Run, which would include their first, original, Japanese song "Mr. Taxi". and the Japanese remake of their song "Run Devil Run". A portion of the revenue from their Japanese single would be donated to Japan's Red Cross in order to provide assistance to the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. On April 9, the music video for the Japanese version of "Run Devil Run" was released.

Start of 2011 story

At the start of 2011, the group prepared a new song titled "Visual Dreams", as part of their endorsement efforts for Intel's Core Processors throughout Asia. The music video for "Visual Dreams" was released on January 17, and various promotional campaigns included new music, 2D and 3D music videos, internet sites, photos, and PC store displays.