By the time you read this dear play chums, I will be in Japan, on a three week tour of the land of the rising sun. Although its beautiful landscape, temples, geisha and East meets West culture is all very fascinating, Japan also offers me a chance to indulge my inner nerd. Japan is the land that gave us games and all hail it for doing so. As such, a trip to Japan, for a gamer, isn't so much a holiday, it's a pilgrimage.

Every gamer wants to go to Japan, as it is the home of games and still defines the industry in many ways. With so much to see and do, it was tough to decide where to go and what to visit. I bought a guide book and that didn't really help as it was the size of War and Peace. I flicked through to look at the pretty pictures and then put it aside to prop open the bedroom door.

With only a month or so to go before our trip, some homework needed to be done, so I scoured the internet and cross-referenced with my guide book for ideas and some general sense of purpose.

Our first week will be spent in and around Tokyo, before spending time at a friend's house in Sendai and then heading to Kyoto. Although the gamer in me would probably stay in Tokyo reading manga and exploring arcades, we're planning to pack in more than just the urban experience.

However, thinking about it, looking for gaming in Japan doesn't have to be about playing games, so here's my list of things I could be visiting as you read these very words:

• Gothic Lolita's in the park in Tokyo
• Downtown Tokyo, at night, in the rain, hopefully at a noodle bar, for that full on Bladerunner experience
• The Sony building for a sneaky play on the latest stuff inside
• Walk on Mount Fuji – come on, it's the ultimate icon
• Failing cherry blossom, as it's September, it'll have to be temples in Kyoto worthy of a battle between Kasumi and Christie, only with less damage to the structural integrity
• Oku-no-in – mountain graveyard, lit by lanterns and swirling with mist a la Otogi
• Bamboo grove that takes me to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon land
• Studio Ghibli Museum – okay it's not games, but he's an influence
• I will be disappointed if I don't see geisha in Kyoto
• If possible, I will become a pilot in a mech and protect Tokyo from certain doom
• Step into the shoes of Ryo from Shenmue and play pachinko
• Find out if you really can buy school girl's knickers in vending machines
• And see if Japanese villages really do look like they're actually in 18th century Germany

It's not an exhaustive list because I still haven't really scraped the surface of what Japan has to offer. I'm sure my trip will just have me itching to go back again and again. Until I return, sayonara.

Most played: i-spy

Most wanted: potatoes