Kumiko is assisted by a well-meaning state trooper who brings her to a Chinese restaurant, hoping they could help translate. In real life, Takako Konishi was helped by a state trooper who really did contact Chinese restaurants in a vain attempt to help.
In a Q&A at the London Sundance Film Festival 2014, the director (and his brother who was not present) claimed that the ambiguous introduction was heavily influenced by the beginnings of the James Bond films that they so loved as children.
Although the film features footage from "Fargo," there is no acknowledgment in the end credits that the clips were licensed from MGM, its current owner, or anyone else.
Kumiko's mother constantly nags at Kumiko and demands that she come back and live with her multiple times. Takako Konishi's mother also repeatedly requested for Takako to come back home, though Takako and her mother were on better terms than Kumiko and her mother.