Organized crime
The Ninkyo Café is furnished like a yakuza office and provides opportunities to participate in special events with the staff.
Gangsters from the yakuza group Yamaguchi-gumi were spotted with cute treat bags, surrounded by smiling children and furious adults.
Ah Halloween. After Christmas, it’s easily the best time of the year to be a kid. You get to dress up, scare people with your friends, and then best of all… go to your local organized crime branch to get a giant bag of candy.
Such has been the annual tradition on Halloween for children who visit the headquarters of the Japanese yakuza group Yamaguchi-gumi in Kobe. But this year, Halloween has had an “unfortunate accident” and been cancelled, meaning the mob will be handing out no candy.
Wait… what? Japanese mafia? Halloween candy? What do these things have in common? Read on to find out!













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