When Japan tried Multiculturalism

So I went to Osaka a few weekends ago, and Osaka is the (wait, can I actually try to compare it with any other city?... anyone would be ashamed of me to do so, for those of you who have been to Osaka). One cannot fully explain Osaka and I have yet to understand it myself, but anyhow. It's the closest metropolis to Fukui, that being a place of more than a million people in one urban center. And with metropolises comes a sense of culture, senses, liveliness, the general atmosphere of a large city center. It's the place where you can find ethnic cultures other than Japanese within Japan. Not surprisingly therefore, it's also the place I ate Mexican and Indian on the same weekend, while also drinking a pint of Murphy's at a local Irish pub (legit) and subsequently enjoying the spirit of Christmas at an authentic (if one ignores everything else Japanese around) German "Weihnachtsmarkt". It almost feels as though I am at home in Toronto every time I go to Osaka, though as I mentioned before, I couldn't do that for either Toronto, or Osaka's sake.
Though on the note of culture, those are little fragments seen within a larger Japan. Japan isn't REALLY multicultural. If anything, it's an excuse for me to lavish in foreign goods whenever I pop off to a larger city, because they CAN cook better food than I can, and well, let's face it, good food usually comes from good cities. Though, I am sure the old lady down the street would argue with me on that note and then serve me a bowl of shaved radish in a buckwheat noodle broth.
Over the weekend, I had a brief conversation on just that with an acquaintance I had just recently met. Though we share different opinions on Japan culture (mine are more rash, as I have lept over the line of naivity), we concluded that it is most definitely not multicultural what-so-ever. But wait for his rational... it's not for the lack of Turkish-owned Shwarma stalls.
He spoke of the lack of English ability by the Japanese. Are you kidding me?! You're basing multiculturalism on the acquisition of the English language? Though I regard his statement as a bit worldly, he would have expected more from the Japanese than the current state of their English level from a city, such as Tokyo, which is so "multicultural; a cultural capital of the world". No shit Sherlock. It's Japan; A country that only opened up to the West in the end of the 19 century. When I go to Tokyo I use Japanese. You should too. Don't get all over your head that they don't speak English. They will. As much as you want them too. And you should thank them. Because I'm sure you wouldn't do the same for them.