Originally Posted by Nyororin (Post 325435)

It`s still Japanese EVERYWHERE. Not just in the countryside. Not just "often".
I really find it a mystery where the misinformation that people in Japan speak English regularly in the cities (Well, anywhere in Japan for that matter) comes from. It`s absolutely untrue.
Even in Tokyo, 98% of people cannot speak enough English to manage a simple conversation. Yes, there are English classes in school... But that doesn`t mean that anyone actually masters the language. If that were true, everyone who has ever taken a foreign language class in school (All of the US?) should be bilingual. I know that I took French for 6 years, and can`t speak a word of it now. (No wait, I can ask where the toilet is, and which way to the hotel?)

Sure, if you`re speaking to everyone in English while in Japan, 2 out of 100 people are going to respond. Just like if you are studying Japanese and hear someone asking something in Japanese that you understand, you`re going to gravitate toward them and try to help. Same in Japan. But it doesn`t represent the majority population. I don`t know a single Japanese person that can speak English decently.