The film is mostly divided into smaller chapters, listed as entries in the boy's summer vacation diary.

and A Scene at the Sea, Kitano references the yakuza only tangentially in Kikujiro, a departure from his work in crime dramas such as Sonatine and Hana-bi.

Aimed at the whole family, the film was allegedly inspired by The Wizard of Oz with the basic premise being a road trip.

Although the plot is composed largely of sad events, the film often has a light-hearted atmosphere, achieved mostly through Kitano's character and his somewhat bizarre encounters.

Masao, who lives alone with his grandmother in an old Shitamachi area of Tokyo, receives a package, and in looking for a seal finds a photo of his long lost mother.

When they finally reach the address of Masao's mother, Kikujiro finds her living as a housewife with another man and their daughter.

While Kikujiro gets into trouble with some yakuza over a fixed shooting game, Masao dreams of dancing tengu.

The main characters, and those who help them along the way, are all considered outcasts from accepted social norms, not being part of a traditional family or group structure.

Along their journey, they start to discover how alike they are and the events in Toyohashi act as a turning point from which the characters begin to find comfort in their shared isolation.

The album includes "Summer", one of the most famous compositions by Hisaishi; it was also re-arranged and used for Toyota Corolla commercials, for instance.

[5] Film director Makoto Shinozaki made a documentary of the making of Kikujiro entitled Jam Session (Jamu sesshon Kikujirō no natsu kōshiki kaizokuban).