I LOVE JAPAN (or China, or Korea, or something)

The most insane thing happened today.

Now, I get a lot of foreign currencies thrown in the gig bag - most common are Euros and US Dollars, but occasionally I get coins from New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Czech Republic - not too long ago got a couple of Italian Lira thrown in, which was weird when you consider how long they've had the Euro. Whatever currency it is, it tends not to amount to much, and gets stashed in a collection as there's not much point in going all the way to the bank simply to get those 7 Argentinian pesos converted into the £1.50 they're worth. However, this time was a little different.

So, today was not a good day, at least for the first hour or so. First time busking in over two weeks: my fingers hurt, my voice simply wasn't up to scratch and there was a wasp flying incessantly round my head. Then this happened:

A youngish Japanese man in a suit came up to me. I say Japanese as he looked like Hiro from Heroes, but he might have been Chinese, or Korean. He says - in broken English - "I really really like your singing," presses a note into my hand - red and white, never seen the likes of it - and vanishes back into the crowd (or into another time zone, if you'd prefer to think that this man was actually Hiro).

I think: Well, fair enough - he's probably given me a hundred Yen, or something. Another one for the currency box...

I unfold the note, and it's a fifty.

Fifty pounds.

Sterling.

I love Japan.