Speaking on the phone in a foreign language is scary.
If you are thinking, it's hard to convey this, thus small pauses become eternities. I tried this a month ago and was hung up on while making a reservation; they probably thought I was drunk. Plus in Japan, the telephone conversation patterns are really different. I have made reservations lately and I still don't really know how to end the call. It kind of trails of in a volley of "Hai"'s and "Arigatou"'s. I need to learn the appropriate ending protocol. But I did it, and I'm happy.
I made the first reservation, then as if in a nightmare, the plans had to be changed, so I had to cancel the reservations. Or not cancel them and just not show up... I worked in restaurants for years, and I know that if you don't show up for a reservation, it's forgotten in about 15 minutes, but ultimately, canceling is the right thing to do. So I did. During the cancellation, the lady switched to English at the end, but I didn't let it bug me, I finished in Japanese. Then I made reservation at another restaurant for later in the week. There were a few moments on the call where I had no idea what he were asking me, and I gambled on "Hai" only to discover that, of course, it wasn't a yes or no question. Later, I figured out they were asking if I had any coupons, hence the confusion when I just said "Yes" without any explanation. So I had to say I didn't understand, and it was ok. The guy was easygoing, no problem.
It's a start. I'm happy. I don't have to be perfect, just willing, right?