Okinawa Photo Lab （Urasoe Color Photo Lab 浦添カラー現像所) 2019
Echoes of the Film Era
This is my third visit to Okinawa. Perhaps it’s the rare sense of ease I haven’t felt in a while, but this time, I decided to start my journey from Naha City, heading toward Urasoe City, savoring the joy of street photography along the way. After about three hours of walking, my feet began to feel slightly numb, and I chose to pause in Urasoe. That’s when I noticed a building that stood out starkly from its surroundings—an abandoned photo lab, its exterior weathered and faded, clearly shuttered for a long time. At 4:30 in the afternoon, the golden rays of the setting sun bathed its walls, casting a serene yet melancholic glow that captivated me. I raised my camera, eager to capture this fleeting moment.
The signboard, barely legible, read “Urasoe Color Photo Lab.” Most of the paint had peeled away, leaving only the faint outlines of the characters. Peering through the dusty glass door, I glimpsed the interior: scattered furniture, discarded equipment, and a pervasive air of neglect. Standing there, I imagined the shop in its heyday—customers coming and going, rolls of film exchanged, the hum of developing machines. It felt as though those moments lingered just beyond reach, sealed away by time.
I pressed the shutter repeatedly, studying every detail: the chipped walls, the faded sign, even the dust settled on the windowsill. Each element seemed to whisper stories of a bygone era. This photo lab was a microcosm of a pivotal shift in photography’s history—a testament to the decline of film in the face of the digital age. Stepping back, I framed the entire building from a distance. Bathed in the sunset’s glow, it stood alone, quiet yet poignant, exuding an ineffable poetry.
As I gazed at the lab, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. The allure of film photography lies in its ritual: loading the roll into the camera, hearing the crisp click of the shutter, feeling the rhythm of winding the film. Each frame is a dance between silver halide crystals and light, imbued with anticipation and patience. The developed photo, like a story unveiled, brings unparalleled satisfaction. That was a romantic era, where every image carried the photographer’s care and emotion.
Before leaving, I glanced back at the photo lab one last time. It stood silently at the corner of Urasoe, like an old sage guarding memories of the film era. I packed away my camera and continued on, carrying a heart full of wistful thoughts, the sound of winding film still echoing in my mind.
