Naniwa Church stands in a corner of Kitahama, Osaka, where many retro buildings stand alongside the business district. The three-story building features a sophisticated penthouse, Gothic-style spire windows, yellow and green tinted glass, and was completed in 1930. It was designed and constructed by Takenaka Corporation under the direction of William Merrell Vories (famous for popularizing Mentholatum and designing the Shinsaibashi Daimaru shopping mall), who came to Japan in the mid-Meiji period as an English teacher at Yahata Commercial High School and continued to contribute to society through Christian evangelism, social education, publishing, medical care, and school education. Naniwa Church originated in 1877 as Naniwa Kokai, Japan's first self-supporting church, voluntarily founded by 11 believers. Perhaps for this reason, the interior of the chapel exudes a familiarity close to that of ordinary people. The second-floor chapel, meanwhile, features bright, gentle colors thanks to the light filtering in through the tinted glass windows, creating a space that is even more refined and beautiful than the exterior.