Well ok i'm from the US too(Seattle area specifically) and uh duh from the interviews, we got crazy people for Utada. And not just here. Apparently we've scared her so bad, it knocked her out of the TITO journey. I'm so sad if it's the end of her english career.

But hey! Still more JP music!

@ Pips_Paradise :

Wow, I'm so envious of you. The party sounds like a whole lot of fun, and you have a really cool dad.

I don't think she's really scared. Perhaps she's scared of a few fans. There was one interview where one of her hardcore fans drove all the way to the radio station just to see her. The dj asked whether they should let the fan in and Utada replied quite enthusiastically.

Yep, it'd be sad if she doesn't make English music anymore because I do feel closer to her english music.

Here in Indonesia, there's a lot of otaku community. Most of all otakus here know Utada.

In non-otaku/gamer/japanese related fan, Utada is quite popular among urban people. At least they know one or two of her songs (mostly First Love and Automatic). First Love is her most popular song in Indonesia. Nowaday, First Love album still avaible at certain bookstores or music stores.
Other songs like Wait & See, Sakura Drops, Can You Keep A Secret was also popular in 2000-2001, because tv stations played the PVs a lot. Some people who not into J music werere impressed with the PVs.
I remember in 1999 a nation wide tv station played Automatic pv, at that time she was the only Japanese singer that shown on tv. I didn't know how, then First Love gained huge popularity.
In Distance era, she included in some teen magazines, her posters can be seen in music stores, tv played her videos a lot.
But with she disappeared after DEEP RIVER, people were waiting for her next album but there was nothing, Utada busy with her Exodus. EMI Indonesia stopped promoting Utada. Then the popularity she gained with her 3 albums gone away. People forgot her and go to other singers like Ayumi Hamasaki, Boa. or bands like L'arc~en~ciel. People even didn't know about the Exodus when it released.
In 2006, ULTRA BLUE wasn't as succesful as her first three album, people found it very experimental and electronica, not what they expected for a japanese album.
2008, HEART STATION was maybe an album that can bring the 2000 memories back. But TOO LATE.People already find another stars.

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i just watched that derren brown thing and sadly i must admit that i did feel the need to check... ^^

Yep i agree if people know who Utada is, the gamers know her for simple and clean while most asians ( at leastthat i know,) know her for first love

I can't really tell.
But I saw some of her albums and concert CDs in markets

in Taiwan, everybody knows who she is lolz

Taiwan ey?
I'm not surprised. Most of her CDs that are sold in Malaysia are from Taiwan.

im from the philippines and most people there who knows hikki are either the gamer-type or the ones with relatives who works in japan. there are also filipinos who is into cosplay and anime stuff so hikki fans are not hard to find. plus, i think a filipino actress did a rendition of her song 'first love' which sounds totally butchered.

i think part of her popularity not only here but also elsewhere is her song in kingdom hearts. she was known then as the girl who sang in kingdom hearts which is not bad since it was the catalyst for some to start looking up hikki stuff.

me? im a fan of hers from the very beginning(first love days).

Here, in Austria, Hikki is not very well known.
Some of my friends know her but just because of Kingdom Hearts and they don't like her other musik ~.~ (even If they think that Hikari and Passion are beautiful <.<) The only person here who loves Hikki as much as me is also here in the forum, kumachang. xD
edit: no me :O

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I love her the most