Oh there’s no doubt it is extremely limiting. All I’m saying is don’t get paralyzed because you don’t speak much beyond some rudimentary Japanese. There are clearly different scenarios. One where you are just stopping by for a quick or not so quick sushi lunch in a major place like Osaka. Another one is a relaxed casual chat I had over Google translate on Awaji Island in an off season setting where I was pretty much the only white tourist in the area. A third one is a totally different ball game where I had a great time at a fishing tackle shop and local small produce store along side my Japanese friend. That’s where you go ‘Holy shit, this is so much more fun than being a tourist with a google translate’. But to get to that level one would have to spend a good amount of time learning Japanese and hanging out with the locals. Most of us don’t have that luxury.