Originally Posted by
gretchendz
If you are obviously American/non Japanese, if you stand on a street corner looking confused even for a minute or two, someone will come up to you in excellent English and offer to help you.
Seriously, I wouldn't worry--especially in major cities.
Even better is to have printed out your destination in Japanese on a little piece of paper and show it to someone.
We found people so helpful, it almost got annoying
In a good way.
Interesting comment. I've never had someone offer to help me, in fact, the exact opposite. I find most Japanese to be shy and unlikely to proactively offer help, but that's just my experience.
To the OP, I rely heavily on my hotel concierge to print maps and provide the necessary instructions to help me navigate to any new destinations. Once you get the hang of the public transportation system, the "chome" system and the fact that maps are really often quite helpful in Tokyo, you'll be pretty well off, even without a smartphone.
That said, investing in one pays huge dividends in Tokyo and elsewhere for navigation, among other purposes.