October 26, 2026 | KWaveScope · KPOP-NEW
YUTA has spent much of his career moving between stages and cities. His next project asks a quieter question: what does it mean to be present, rather than simply performing? The NCT 127 member will release his second individual photobook, 在 (Zai), on January 27, 2027, according to Japanese publisher Gentosha.
Paris, but away from the postcard version
The 160-page, full-colour book was photographed entirely around Paris and its surroundings in late June 2026. Gentosha describes scenes ranging from the banks of the Seine and views of the Eiffel Tower to an apartment, a piano, the Moulin Rouge and quieter locations beyond the city.
Paris’s summer heat became an unplanned part of the shoot. The publisher says temperatures topped 40°C, making what might look effortless in print a demanding three-day assignment. Photographer WATARU, who lives in Paris, made the images.
A second chapter after ‘Ima’
The new book follows 2024’s 今 (Ima, meaning “Now”), which was photographed in Seoul. The two titles are connected by an interest in how a person inhabits a particular time, but the setting has shifted from YUTA’s professional home in Korea to a city closely associated with fashion and art.
That contrast matters. As a member of NCT 127, a solo musician and an actor, YUTA is usually introduced through a role. A personal photobook gives him room to present the less rehearsed details: time alone, the work of creating and the small expressions that disappear under stage lights.
What YUTA wanted to show in Paris
For YUTA, the new book is not just a change of backdrop. In Gentosha’s October 26 announcement, he explained that after the first volume, 今 (Now), he wanted to explore a more personal idea: what it feels like to exist in the present, in a particular place. The new title, 在, is read Zai and suggests presence or being there.
That intention is reflected in the choice of settings. An apartment and time spent near a piano put the focus on unguarded moments, while the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, the Moulin Rouge and Place de la Concorde provide a recognisable but changing Paris. The three-day shoot also travelled outside the capital to Milly-la-Forêt, a town better known for a quieter pace than the centre of Paris.
The photographs were made in late June 2026 during an extreme heatwave. The publisher says daytime and nighttime temperatures rose above 40°C. Paris-based photographer WATARU captured YUTA in these conditions, so the images represent an actual trip rather than an indoor reconstruction of a French city.
See the Paris photobook photographs: Gentosha has shared the new 在 cover and selected previews in its official announcement and photo gallery. The Paris street photograph above is separately credited archival material from 2025; it is not a preview from the 2026 book.
Watch YUTA in Paris: GQ JAPAN Instagram Reel
Paris fashion-week video · June 2025. In this reel from GQ JAPAN, YUTA appears during Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2026 menswear presentation, filmed in Paris in June 2025. This earlier public appearance helps show his relationship with the city, but it must not be mistaken for behind-the-scenes footage of 在. Watch GQ JAPAN’s original Instagram Reel.
Preorders and fan events in Japan
Preorders opened on October 26, 2026. Gentosha says an Amazon-exclusive cover will be offered alongside the standard edition, while other retailers are planning different bonus visuals. Buyers should check whether a listing includes the standard cover, a special cover or an exclusive purchase benefit.
Two purchase-linked handover events are planned: Tokyo on January 23, 2027 for eligible SHIBUYA TSUTAYA buyers, and Osaka on January 30, 2027 through Kinokuniya Grand Front Osaka. Participation depends on the retailer’s selection and application conditions; these are not open-entry public fan meetings. The publisher also announced launch-period panel exhibitions in Tokyo and Osaka, with some details to follow.
Publication details
Release: January 27, 2027 in Japan. Format: approximately 264 × 188 mm, softcover, 160 full-colour pages. Publisher: Gentosha. Photographer: WATARU. Listed price: ¥3,500 before tax. The publisher also released a digital edition of his first photobook on October 26, 2026, his birthday.
The new volume remains a preorder, not a book already available for review. Readers looking for the actual photographs and purchase options should consult the publisher’s announcement rather than assuming the archive portrait above is part of the Paris project.
Sources and further reading
Louis Vuitton Japan — YUTA in Paris, June 2025 (press photograph)
GQ JAPAN — YUTA and guests at the Paris menswear event, July 2025
Gentosha — official announcement and specifications
Gentosha — first photobook digital-edition announcement