Parts of this movie remind me of when I lived in Japan with one unseen neighbour allegedly being from an old established Yakuza family. His place was like a miniature castle that took up a whole corner of the street!

Also, a colleague dated a Yakuza guy briefly, but didn't find it threatening in anyway nor did she ever feel she was in danger. And unlike some things we had heard he had no missing finger. In saying that, another person I knew had a girlfriend from Europe go missing not long before her visa was about to expire - never to be found. She was working near a place called Rappongi as an escort so likely for the Yakuza (unorganised). She was an escort that served drinks and chatted nothing more - not anything R rated.

That was a really sad situation because her boyfriend (my friend) wouldn't give up and was persistent with the police about it for years and years, but just had no luck with them or finding her.

There are a number of missing foreigners in Japan - even murdered ones, like Lucie Blackman, only not all are mass media news stories or reported in anyway.

Anyhow, back to that nearby neighbour of mine, for some time I thought it was just an unfounded rumour about him because I only ever saw delivery drop offs every now and then when I passed by that way to and from work - nothing else.

You know the scene where one of the Yakuza guys wears sunglasses in that little restaurant and it is night time - I think it is a Yakuza thing. I was coming back from work late one night when I spotted a group of men all dressed in immaculate suits standing outside that neighbour's gates with about 3 -4 limousines (shaded windows) or Cadillacs. Expensive cars. Most were smoking and all wore sunglasses. I was literally crapping myself because they could have easily taken me if they wanted and made sure I was never seen again. I knew at that exact moment they definitely were Yakuza without a doubt. I was so nervous as there was no way I passed as Japanese so all I could do really was keep my head down, not say anything and quickly walk through them to get home and hopefully not gain too much unwanted attention. Not that they could miss me! I do recall some looked really young which surprised me. I did get a few cold hard stares I reckon because one turned in my direction and I could feel the intensity of being somewhere I probably shouldn't have been at that moment, but noone approached or hassled me. It was obvious something must have happened for them to be there so late and dressed like that - we (Japanese friends and I) worked out that there may have been a death among them, but who knows?! As the family name was on the gate near the mail box one friend looked for death notices under that name, but came up with zilch.

That is another thing - security cameras weren't so common in our area, but that place had them, also, he had a huge swimming pool which was uncommon as well. I don't think security cameras were so widely used back then when I think about it, but I could be wrong.

Guns weren't really an issue in Japan when I was there nor things like petty theft or mugging, but I didn't really work or live in bad areas if they did exist. I do remember mushrooms and other hardcore drugs starting to circulate only drugs really weren't so big back then either- they were obtainable, but not a massive problem like how we see it in Western countries.

This film touches on the years I lived in Japan if it starts in the late 1990s and onwards.

When I was there anyone with tattoos was banned from using the gyms and swimming pools because tattoos were associated with the Yakuza, also, believe it or not permed hair for some reason. Gangster hairstyle maybe.

I was told old Yakuza families belonged to organised crime and newer individuals belonged to unorganised crime - each different from the other.

Just wanted to share my experience because of this movie triggering certain memories even though what I saw or experienced with the Yakuza was just in passing whereas living in Japan was not.