How far will English get me?
 

I'm going to Tokyo for 9 days in either June or July. I don't speak Japanese, but I can read kana and some kanji. I'm wondering, as a tourist how far will English get me when at a restaurant, or asking for prices at a store or even just small talk with local Japanese people at bars/night clubs.

Stay on the main streets and the busy areas and you'll be fine.

Not sure about small talk... but I guess it's Tokyo so sure I'm sure you'll find someone to speak with in Roppongi lol.

Chances are you will find other people like yourself in the easy-to-enter street level bars.

All I needed to know was that the poke'mon company is based there.

Major department stores will have staff that speak english... just enough to serve the customer... several brand name store in Omotesando also have english speaking staff

Put it this way, anywhere that a tourist (real tourist) would go to will probably have some level of english services

Even with no japanese at all I was able to communicate with a shop owner when I got lost in Tokyo at one point. Just pointed at the map and wrote down the names of places I was headed to :3

If you can, find a map/guidebook with the names of places in both romaji AND kanji/kana. Then you can at least hop in a taxi or point at where you're trying to get to and it's a piece of cake. I don't speak a lick of Chinese and that's how I got about in China, with very few problems. Most hotels and things will have someone at front desk who can direct you about as well.