Originally Posted by ksandness

I agree completely. Getting lost is no problem, because even Japanese people get lost, and they are very helpful to bewildered tourists. Get a business card from your hotel, have a bilingual map on hand, and you're good to go.

All of your destinations are frequented by tourists, and as an added bonus, have a lot of Western residents, Tokyo and Kyoto in particular. There's always someone around who speaks English.

Buy a good guidebook and some maps, plan out your itinerary, and have fun exploring. Some of my best experiences in Japan have been things I didn't intend to do but just encountered accidentally.