KASHIHARA, Nara Prefecture–Five hundred small tablets featuring images of the protagonist of the popular anime series “Beyond the Boundary” (Kyokai no Kanata) sold out in just three days at Kashihara Jingu shrine in Nara Prefecture.

With a full-length feature film adaptation set for release in March, distributor Shochiku Co. came up with the idea to promote the film by creating wooden picture panels that resemble “ema” (votive tablets) and selling them at the shrine in Kashihara in early January.

The anime and film feature scenery in Nara around Kashiharajingu-mae Station on the Kintetsu Kashihara Line, as well as Fukadaike pond on the shrine’s premises.

“Beyond the Boundary” fans began gathering at the shrine on New Year’s Eve. By midnight, when the tablets went on sale, there were reportedly about 200 eager people lined up.  The tablet paintings are 14.5 by 20.5 centimeters and feature the images of Mirai Kuriyama, the teenage red-haired heroine of the story.

“We were surprised they sold out so fast,” said Yoshitsugu Nakakuma, the 63-year-old head of the shrine’s general affairs department. “Drawing young people here is meaningful.”

The tablets sold for 2,000 yen ($17) a piece. Plans are in the works to ramp up a second production as soon as possible.

Kashihara Jingu, which supposedly stands on the mythical palace of founding Yamato Emperor Jimmu, is a guardian of tradition but like other shrines is constantly looking for ways of reaching out to the young.