Abstract: With the development of modern society, population aging has become a major practical problem that troubles Japanese society. Some elderly themed films in Japan have reflected on the survival situation faced by the elderly population in the trend of aging, reflecting the expectations and helplessness exhibited by Japanese society in the trend of social changes and life flow, triggering profound thinking in Japanese society, and providing ideological preparation for coping with the continuous evolution of an aging society. Tokyo Story, as a successful model for mapping the deep psychology of the elderly population, delicately expresses the living conditions of the elderly population and reflects the reality of social changes and life flow. From the perspectives of philosophy of life, Zen culture, and the Japanese aesthetic concept of mono no aware, this article provides a theoretical interpretation of the living conditions and deep psychology of the elderly population reflected in Tokyo Story. It proposes that Chinese elderly themed film and television works should also apply Chinese style people-oriented thinking to deeply pay attention to the aging problem in Chinese society, and enhance the artistic appeal and social influence of Chinese elderly themed film and television works.

Key words: aging population, social changes, life flow, social esteem, natural acceptance