I don't think you can really get the same feeling for another country without knowing enough of the language to get around, order at a restaurant and do a little bit of small talk. I've always felt that you can get more immersed in the culture and people by (trying to) speak in their language. Whenever I've gone somewhere I didn't speak the language I felt quite isolated. It is also amazing how fast you will learn more if you've studied before you go. One of the big highlights of my trip to Japan was small talk (in Japanese) with a cab driver.

However on that trip I was very frustrated that almost every Japanese person wanted to speak with me in English while I wanted a chance to speak in Japanese. The only exception was when I was wandering around Tokyo at 1 am and completely lost. I knew I was only 3 blocks from my hotel but just couldn't find it. No one could speak English and my brain was warped by too much sake to understand Japanese.

Alan