Dodes'ka-den

The film is an anthology of overlapping vignettes exploring the lives of a variety of characters who happen to live in a suburbial Shanty town atop a rubbish dump. The first to be introduced is the boy Roku-chan, who lives in a fantasy world in which he is a tram (trolley) conductor. In his fantasy world, he is both the tram and the tram driver and follows a set route and schedule through the dump, reciting the refrain "Dodeska-den", "clickety-clack", mimicking the sound of his vehicle. His dedication to the fantasy is fanatical. Roku-chan is called "trolley fool" (''densha baka'') by locals and by children who are outsiders.