Kitamura Camera Opens Akusta STUDIO in Shinjuku for Same-Day Acrylic Goods
The service moves photo printing from a two-to-three-week mail-order wait to a same-day in-store pickup, which is the part of the camera store business that still brings customers into the building.
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
Kitamura Co., Ltd. will open Akusta STUDIO on the first floor of Shinjuku Kitamura Camera on October 15, 2026. The in-store lab turns photos into acrylic goods in as little as 30 minutes, against a normal delivery time of 2 to 3 weeks. Orders can use smartphone photos or shots taken at the store's PICmii and Kitamura Photo Studio by MERCI. Shinjuku is the third location for the service and the first in Tokyo.
The lab handles production through Shimauma Plus, run by group company Shimauma Print Co., Ltd., and staff finish each order individually at the first-floor counter. Customers pick a shape from samples, then spend the wait on the camera and lens floors or in the basement gallery. The store lists wedding receptions, Shichi-Go-San family photos, travel shots taken in Shinjuku, and pet photos as intended uses. Production is limited to image data the customer holds the rights to.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.