I speak a little Nihongo..I can manage the Hiragana and most of the Katakana and recognise a little of the Kanji...I seem to manage and haven't had too many disasters yet. But I also rely on that international language "sign language" and often throw myself on the mercy of locals who look like they could (or should) speak some English. The trouble is that they turn up in the most surprising places...shelf stackers in DIY stores who speak perfect English...and banks where no one will own up to it....
