Quick bits

I'm catching up on my writing while on the very fast train to Nagasaki. I don't know if it is very fast but the last one I was one was fast enough that I couldn't write my postcards clearly. This one, has leather (nice like Connolly leather) seats, a polished two tone wooden floor, a chrome and wood communal area and go fast silver lettering. Christian, you would need to change shorts... More exciting for me is that there are several young ladies and women in traditional dress - kimono, white socks and wooden sandals. They look so great. I want to take photos of them candidly shoving things in the overhead compartent (which on this occassion is too small for my backpack) but I don't know if etiquette allows.

The train is so nice and the transition so smoothe that I almost feel like I am on the wrong train! But whereever it's going, I'll take it as it must be a nice place that has a series of trains like this for the whole island. You can even buy toys of them. If you're lucky Christian..! But Anna might not like playing with it with you okay!
For the first time on the trip I have a passenger sitting next to me. He was muttering about my day pack and I was about to mutter if he knew was halitosis was but the people across from me have helpfully started eating hot noodles and I'd rather smell those delicious flavours instead.

Here are some more bite size bits:

GETTING LOST PART 2
For the first time ever I had to ask for a map of a train station! I couldn't find my right exit when I entered via the tram / streetcar. I must have sounded like a bit of a moron, Christian how did you guide me through all the stations so well or was it because you had been through them before you show off?!

MONEY
So far, so good. The Finnish visa seems to work nowhere. The Japanese retail point card machines talk to you (as is the Japanese habit, you must always know what's going on). So the little thing screams at you "enter you card, card entered, card being read, card being read as some strange Finnish thing, card being spat out, loud shrieking noise made at weird foreigner".
I'm hoping my client (who needed work at the beginning of last week and still hasn't got revisions back to me) will pay me despite their tardiness to compensate for the unplanned hit it has been taking. I have tried to keep all individual purchases down to 1,000 Yen - about five pounds. This has worked easily for food, outings etc.
Accommodation I am trying to keep about 3,500 taxes and add ons not included (because you never know what they're going to hit you with when you get there).
My only splurge has been one book at 1,200 plus plus yen (there's a 5% tax).
Meals come in around 600 yen depending on what I get to go with it. I could probably make them cheaper. I am only eating about one big meal a day as it's too hot for anything other than fruit or street pastries in the morning or afternoon.

Speaking of food, would the lady with the chicken noodles sitting next to me please pass the bowl; they smell great!