[LacusClyne]

wel, i'm in singapore, which is the smallest country but contains a lot of jpop fans, ayu is quite well known around here

We see ayu on tv cms, magazines, newspapers.....and her singles and albums are sold around the little island, and yes her cd chart VERY well here.
just in my company's camera department, i already know 3 ayu fans(including me) and my sis likes ayu's songs too.

to be honest, it's Inuyasha that help bring her more fans in 2002 to 2003, Singapore is an anime-fantasy island too, we get lots of cosplay events round the year, my sis is a cosplayer too, and from her group of cosplayers, most of them start to know Ayu through Inuyasha.
As for the fans before that, it's those CMs for Duty and LOVEppears, there were lots of promotion back then. Even my first impression of Ayu was the japan singer who cover upper body with her hair...(>_<)