I can't comment on Tokyo but just to offer another point anecdote, I've found it pretty easy to talk to people recently in Portugal, Spain, Germany and Belgium.

I can't comment on Tokyo but just to offer another point anecdote, I've found it pretty easy to talk to people recently in Portugal, Spain, Germany and Belgium. Most communication starts with my apologetic expression for the cultural faux pas which is about to commited. I then move on to a token effort at mangling the local language which finally ends with me being asked to repeat in English by a patient native.