Originally Posted by
joejones
They will only be visible in/around Tokyo. Most foreigners outside the Tokyo area are Chinese/Korean/Brazilian/Filipino/etc, and even if you manage to spot them they are not likely to be any better at English. I walked around Osaka for a day a couple of years ago, and counted exactly ten Westerners on the street. I can count that many in about 10 minutes in most dense parts of Tokyo.
I lived in the Osaka area for three years and I ran into non-Japanese people all the time. It really depends on where you are though. There are admittedly a lot more in Tokyo than in Osaka, although I don't necessarily think that is a bad trait.
My advice is if you are in desperate need for help, can't find any helpful signs that are in English nearby, and aren't near a tourist office; is to approach a nearby Japanese person and
write your question down and show it to them. As pointed out earlier, with the inbalance of the education system, most Japanese aren't able to handle the listening and speaking portion of English. However, reading and writing shouldn't be a problem.
If you were able to get around China, Japan shouldn't be a problem. In the more urban areas, it will be somewhat similar to traveling around Hong Kong and Singapore.