Hula Girls (2006)

The year is 1965, and Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture is on the brink of industrial decline and soaring unemployment as Japan shifts from domestic coal to imported oil. In an effort to save the community, the local mining company launches an ambitious plan to build a lavish Hawaiian resort, complete with hot springs and hula girl dancers. HIRAYAMA Madoka (MATSUYUKI Yasuko), a strict dance instructor from Tokyo, is tasked with training the troupe, and quickly learns that shaping a group of small-town girls into polished hula performers is no easy feat.