Winter with W fan meeting report

On December 24th, at Tokyo Garden Theater, Ji Chang-wook held his Christmas fan meeting, “2025 Ji Chang Wook Japan Fan Meeting ~Winter With You~.”

This was the third time he has held a fan meeting on Christmas Eve. The fans who gathered at the venue were fully ready to enjoy the event — the dress code was Christmas colors, red and green, so many people wore Santa hats or coordinated red and green outfits.

To raise the excitement even more before Ji Chang-wook appeared, fans practiced the chant for “Celebration,” a track from his first Japanese album Assemble, which was released that very day. On the big screen, cue lines like “The Asian prince has arrived!” and “Ji Chang-wook!” appeared, and fans shouted along while clapping in rhythm.

After the warm-up, when the energy in the venue had reached its peak, the real show began. Soft piano music flowed through the hall, silver confetti fluttered down like glittering snow, and the stage turned into a winter wonderland. A large star lit up at center stage, and as cheerful Christmas music filled the venue, the curtain covering the center suddenly opened — Ji Chang-wook appeared while singing. Welcomed by loud cheers and applause, he moved from side to side of the stage, smiling and waving to the fans.

When he finished singing, he greeted everyone:

“Hello, everyone. I’m Ji Chang-wook. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

When the crowd shouted back, “We’re good!”, he smiled softly and said, “That’s great. I’m doing well too.”

This event was not only to celebrate the release of his first album in Japan, but also a special occasion to spend Christmas Eve together with his Japanese fans. When asked how he felt, he said,

“I’m truly grateful that I can spend Christmas 2025 with all of you. And on top of that, my first album was released today, and seeing how happy you are makes me really happy and thankful.”

The first segment was a talk corner titled “Getting to Know Ji Chang-wook Now – Work Edition.” It started with a discussion about the Disney+ drama “Fabricated City.” When still photos from the show appeared on the screen, the host pointed out that Ji Chang-wook’s black jacket that day looked similar to his costume in the drama. He replied in Japanese, “The vibe is kind of similar…” When the host complimented his improved Japanese, he said fluently, “Recently, I’ve been studying Japanese every single day. But Japanese is really hard — so, sorry,” which touched the fans, creating a warm, friendly mood in the venue.

The Manipulatedis an intense revenge-action drama about a man who has been falsely accused and vows to take revenge on the person who ruined his life. It contains so many tough action scenes that he even thought, “I don’t want to do action for a while anymore.” When he honestly said, “From now on, I’d like to stay away from fights and do more romance,” the audience responded with hopeful applause.

They also mentioned that The Manipulatedranked No. 1 on the global Top 10 chart on Disney+. Ji Chang-wook flashed a double peace sign and said, “Having your work loved — I think there’s nothing happier for an actor than that. When you get home, please watch it again,” smiling warmly.

When people expressed concern because of all the difficult action scenes, he answered in Japanese, “Totally fine. I’m healthy. Strong,” and struck a confident pose. But when famous scenes like prison breaks, car chases, and motorcycle action were shown, he seemed to recall the tough filming and said in Japanese, “It was insanely hard,” making the audience laugh.

He then revealed that he is currently filming the drama Merry Bery Love (working title) in Fukuoka, co-starring with Mio Imada. As for why he decided to take the role, he said, “For several years, I’ve wanted to work on a Japan–Korea joint project. Then I came across a really good one. I was offered a truly fun project, so I chose to join it.”

When asked about the difference between filming in Japan and Korea, he first joked, “Well, the language is different,” then said “Sorry” in Japanese with a playful smile, lightening the mood. He continued:

“In Korea, people are very sensitive to change, and the atmosphere on set lets you adapt to changes quickly. In Japan, I feel things are prepared very thoroughly in advance, and everything proceeds according to plan. So through filming in Japan, I’m learning a lot of new things. But when I think about it, there actually isn’t a huge difference. And it’s been a while since I’ve worked on such a bright, cheerful project, so I’m happy to be filming with a smile.”

Next came the “2nd WISH – Private Edition,” where previously unreleased photos were shown — from Paris Fashion Week, vineyards in France, and shots from when he first worked as an MC in Taiwan. So many personal photos appeared one after another that sometimes he couldn’t even remember when they were taken. When fans told him one of them was from the shoot for his first Japanese album jacket, he reacted in Japanese, “Are you a genius?” Then he teased himself, saying, “I’m sorry… I’m kind of dumb,” making everyone laugh with his surprisingly rich Japanese vocabulary.

After the talk corner with plenty of Japanese mixed in, it was time for music. The band took their places, and he performed his first Japanese single, “Boku ga Ita Koto.” With his hand placed over his heart, he sang gently, while fans slowly waved their light sticks from side to side, completely absorbed in his voice.

Ji Chang-wook captivated his fans both with his talk and with his singing. As the event reached the middle stage, he suddenly appeared from the audience seats. With this surprise entrance, he got very close to the fans, instantly shortening the distance between them. Starting from the top floor of Tokyo Garden Theater and moving down to the lower floors, he handed out flowers, high-fived fans, and gave such warm fan service that the entire venue went wild.

As he made his way from the upper floors to the lower ones, it seemed he wanted to hand out flowers as evenly as possible. But by the time he reached the arena seats on the first floor, only a few flowers were left. He looked a little regretful and said he had “miscalculated the distribution,” but the fans who got to see him up close were overjoyed.

Because the dress code of the day was Christmas colors — red and green — there was also a segment where, using a zoom camera, they picked the “best dresser” from the audience. Ji Chang-wook peered into the camera, saying in Japanese, “This is so fun,” zooming in on people and playfully faking them out while choosing. Five selected fans received signed Christmas cards as a gift.

That day was also the release date of his very first album in Japan. When the topic of the album came up, fans shouted “Congratulations!” and he shyly replied, “Thank you very much.” When asked about the meaning behind the album title Assemble, he said:

“The word Assemble means ‘to gather,’ so I wanted to gather all the pieces of my activities up until now into one album and deliver it to you as my first album.”

He also revealed that he had struggled over which songs to include and what kind of lyrics to write while producing it.

When he was asked when he would like fans to listen to the album, he answered in Japanese, with a big smile, “All the time — every day, every day,” and the venue responded with loud, enthusiastic applause.

Then it was time to perform “Celebration.” When the accompaniment started after Ji Chang-wook shouted in Japanese, “Let’s go!” fans quickly stood up, fully ready to get hyped. Matching the bouncy rhythm, he sang freely and joyfully. The chants during the song echoed perfectly, and when he called out, “Together!” fans jumped and enjoyed the moment with him. At the end of the song, on his cue “GO,” balloons were released all at once, and red and green balloons filled the venue, instantly coloring it in Christmas tones.

After finishing the song, he said,

“It was my first time singing it, so I was really nervous, thinking, ‘What if I mess up?’ But since all of you enjoyed it so much, I realized it’s not about whether I made mistakes or not.” He looked completely satisfied as he said this.

When asked how he felt seeing the balloons floating around, he said,

“I honestly felt really great. And thank you all for your hard work — you had to sing along, blow up balloons, and keep jumping. Watching you, I felt how much effort you were putting into it,” he added with a laugh, showing appreciation to the fans.

Next came the “WISH” segment — the part that also gave the event its title, “4th WISH: We’ll grant your wish.” Several wishes previously collected from fans were chosen.

The first wish was: “I want to get excited together with Ji Chang-wook, so I’d like everyone in the venue to do a wave.” With Ji Chang-wook’s cue, “Here we go! Ready!” the wave swept across the venue, and he himself ran from one end of the stage to the other, joining in. A perfect, beautiful wave was completed, and he exclaimed in Japanese, “Whoa, that’s crazy! Amazing!” which fired up the crowd even more.

The surprises didn’t end there. The next wish was to do a closing hand-clap like on the TV show Waratte Iitomo! following Ji Chang-wook’s cue. They tried clapping to the rhythm “cha, cha, cha, cha” while shouting “Chan, Ji, Chang-wook.” During the actual attempt, he missed saying part of it for a moment, but fans who knew the show clapped in perfect sync and pulled it off. Impressed, he said, “Even without me saying it, amazing,” showing his admiration.

The next wish asked him to look into the camera, imagine it was a fan, and say “Do your best.” On top of that, they requested Hakata dialect. He looked straight into the camera and said, “What are you doing? I like you. I love you,” even pretending to pat someone’s head, instantly filling the venue with a healing, heartwarming mood.

This turned into a dialect talk segment. Since he is currently filming in Fukuoka, he said, “What were you doing?” in the local dialect. He then added that he’s familiar with Osaka dialect too and smoothly said, “What are you doing? Have you eaten?” Finally, he ended with a big smile, saying, “I really like you,” delighting the fans.

The next wish was for him to read a fan’s wish aloud in Japanese himself:

“According to an old saying, if, when you turn eighty, your grandchild or son gives you a piggyback ride, you will live long and stay healthy. I still want to stay healthy and keep supporting Chan-kun, so I’d like Chan-kun to give me a piggyback ride.”

He immediately stepped down into the audience, ran over to the fan, and actually gave her a piggyback ride. Seeing her happy smile wrapped the whole venue in a warm, cozy feeling. Ji Chang-wook also said, “If it helps my fans stay healthy, I’ll do anything,” smiling gently.

The last wish was, “Since the way you walk is so cool, we want you to walk as if you were on the red carpet.” For this wish, a special re-entrance was prepared: he went backstage once and then made a second entrance. As Mariah Carey’s very Christmas-like “All I Want for Christmas Is You” began playing, expectations rose. When the curtain lifted, Ji Chang-wook appeared wearing quirky glasses decorated with Christmas trees and said, “Merry Christmas!” Instead of a “cool runway,” it turned into a “cute runway,” and his playful charm filled the entire venue with warm smiles.

Having granted one fan wish after another, Ji Chang-wook was then asked about his own wish. With a calm smile, he said,

“I just want to stay healthy. I want to smile as many times as I can, and if all of you are happy, that makes me happy too.”

Carrying those feelings for his fans, the next song he performed was “Because You Were There.” The reason he has been able to come this far is because “you — the fans — were there for me.” He sang that sentiment gently, as if wrapping the audience in his voice.

The fun time flew by, and it was almost time to say goodbye. When asked how he felt about the event, he said,

“This is the third year I’ve started Christmas with an event like this, and I’m truly grateful. I know it’s not easy to come here on a weekday, so I’m really happy. I’m working hard not only on the album, but in many other activities as well, so I’d be glad if you continued to look forward to them. Thank you for your hard work this year. Please stay healthy and happy in the new year.”

Finally, he performed the Christmas song “My Christmas Wish” from his first album. Glittering confetti fluttered through the hall, creating a scene as if everyone had stepped inside a snow globe. The lyrics — “I keep thinking of things I can do for you,” “I’ll become a Santa Claus who grants your wishes,” “Remember I’ll always be on your side” — gently echoed through the venue as reassuring messages to his fans.

After finishing the song with all his heart, Ji Chang-wook waved with a smile and left the stage. But the applause gradually turned into loud rhythmic clapping, and the chant of “Ji Chang-wook!” filled the entire venue as the audience called for an encore.

Responding to the fans’ calls, Ji Chang-wook returned to the stage for an encore and performed “The Wind of Spring.” It’s a song with a refreshing sound that feels like the end of winter, with a gentle spring breeze blowing through — instead of lingering sadness of parting, it paints a sense of hope for the next time they meet again. Fans stood up, waved their light sticks, clapped along, and the whole venue was wrapped in a strong feeling of togetherness.

After finishing the song, he looked around the scene a bit wistfully and said,

“Thank you very much. It’s really a shame that we’ve already reached the end.”

He also expressed his gratitude to the band members who had shared the stage with him. Amid loud applause, he added,

“Let’s meet again. Please stay healthy until the next time we see each other.”

And finally, he promised “Let’s meet again” in Japanese before leaving the stage.

Every song, every word, every glance and smile during this fan meeting was filled with his affection for his fans. The time spent in that dreamy, snow-globe-like atmosphere undoubtedly became an unforgettable Christmas memory for everyone who was there.

Also, this fan meeting will be available for streaming on FOD. In addition, You can join our Telegram Channel (JICHANGWOOK1)  the “Ji Chang-wook Persian Fan Club,” where you can check his latest updates.

Cr: Korepo

translated to English by Telegram: Jichangwook1