It's been awhile since I watched "The Light.." but as far as I can remember the atmosphere of both movies and some main points are very similar.
For one both are told from a male protagonists POV who is leading a rather aimless life either with no job or going to a vocational school. They both fall for female protagonists who work as hostesses at night and have hidden traumas. Also both movies are set in Hakodate, and the city could be seen as a main character of the movie in itself.

Both movies are based on stories written by novelist Sato Yasushi and are part of his "Hakodate Trilogy" (including another movie called 'Sketches of Kaitan city').