And I might add that you are more likely to find reasonably competent English speakers in Japan, especially at major tourist sites, than you are to find Americans in the U.S. (other than first or second-generation immigrants) who speak ANY foreign language proficiently.

There are directional and informational signs in English in the large cities, and three English-language daily newspapers and a couple of English-language magazines available on most urban newsstands.

Furthermore, the large cities all have significant populations of resident foreigners, so, unlike the 1970s, when even people in non-central Tokyo neighborhoods treated me like an oddity from outer space, you should easily be able to find resident foreigners walking around central business districts and major train stations. Most of them speak English, even if they are not from English-speaking countries.