To the OP on the question of your extra day, I would use it do something else in the Kansai area. Kyoto is pretty central. So you could do Nara, Osaka, Kobe, or go to Arima (an onsen town near Kobe).

As others have said, Japan is really not that hard to get around in for a non-Japanese speaker. Also, in the last decade the use of English or at least Romaji (Romanized Letters for Japanese words) have increased a good deal in signage so it is even easier than it used to be. Enjoy your trip to Japan.