Havent been thru Tokyo Shinjuku nichome since last year... but glad to hear you will have a translator. As you are no doubt aware, Japan lags behind most of Asia in its embrace of learning other languages (like English for instance). Wonderful, nice, hot, caring guys but just generally you won't find English fluency (even just a couple words) unlike the guys in BKK, HKG, heck even PEK or PVG! I really really like Tokyo, and Japan but the language barrier is fiercest here than anywhere else in Asia. Smile, rely on your friend and have a great time ... it is a lot fun!
Cheers