But Nagasaki, too, was full up. One of the few errors I've spotted in the outstanding Gluck guidebook is the claim that one can find a bed in Nagasaki on any night of the year. My experience: on the "crunch days" of Golden Week (generally May 3 and 4), there isn't a bed to be had in the entire country in anything even faintly resembling a tourist destination. So plan accordingly... I just barely squeaked into the "capsule hotel" in front of the main train station, and thus accomplished another goal: to stay at a capsule hotel at least once in my life. It's actually surprisingly comfortable: unlike a youth hostel, the thin walls of the capsule provide some soundproofing from the snores of the person next to you. They have a nice shower/bath room, and even free instant coffee and tea and a common room to sit in. All in all, the capsule hotel compares favorably to the youth hostel; I'd do it again. Needless to say, women would need to think very hard before staying in one of these (if that's even permitted): at this one, the capsules could not be locked or even closed, and so security would definitely be an issue.

Nevertheless, it's kind of an eerie place in the dead of night - stick your head out and the dimly-lit corridor resembles a morgue or something. I also got a hint of the regular clientele at check-in time, when the proprietor asked me if I wanted to pay extra for "TV" and then, looking at my cycling gear, said "You probably don't, I guess." That offhand comment confused me when I got to the capsule and found that TV was free... and then it hit me: he was obviously asking if I wanted to pay extra for X-rated video.