TOKYO — The new Japanese movie "Hula Girl," which tells the true story of a group of hula dancers, has added more fuel to Japan's hula boom. The film, which screened at the recent Hawaii International Film Festival, has a Hawai'i connection — 'ukulele star Jake Shimabukuro did the soundtrack (the theme song, "Hula Girl," is on his latest CD, "Gently Weeps").

Directed by Li San Il, the comedy is based on the story of a dying mining town in Fukushima prefecture in the 1960s. It tells the tale of local women who form a hula troupe to help the Joban Hawaiian Center spa facility (now Spa Resort Hawaiians), in an attempt to revitalize the local economy.

The popularity of the film has prompted the Maunaloa MMJ store in Shibuya ward, Tokyo, to hold a sale of its Hawaiian products such as dresses and quilts.

"All the colorful flowers on Hawaiian products are great for making women of any age look feminine," said store manager Hirono Ooki.

Also part of the hula boom is the "aqua hula dance" — a rearrangement of the traditional dance for the swimming pool. The watery version has won fans, particularly among older people, who can perform dance movements without putting strain on their bodies.

Involving hulalike motions to slow Hawaiian music in water, the dance was developed as a form of recreation for people of all ages by Kobe-based nonprofit organization Ichiokunin Genki Undo Kyokai in 1999.

The Tokyo Athletic Club in Nakano ward offers a weekly aqua hula lesson. One of the participants, Setsuko Io, 77, seemed to be fully enjoying the class.

"It's lovely to perform in the pool with all these beautiful flowers on my head," she said.

Instructor Yuki Tanio, 45, said, "I composed the aquatic choreography, while respecting traditional hula dances."

Aqua hula adherents say that the exercise is useful for stimulating brain functions, as the dancers need to pay attention to even very subtle motions of their fingertips.

According to the school, the number of people who want to have a trial lesson is increasing.