Perhaps the most useful phrase in Japan for a beginner who is traveling will be asking directions. This is a very simple grammatical format that is quite easy to use as a template. The answer may well be in Japanese, but worry not, the Japanese are very conscientious and are likely to make liberal use of pointing and gestures to try to help you understand the answer.
First, the polite way to go up to anyone in Japan is to maintain a respectful distance, approach, facing them, position so they can see you, wait for an opening, and then say "Excuse me" in a clear but normal voice (try not to be loud or yell). In Japanese this is 「すみません。」
This seems like a good place to point out that 「」are Japanese quotation marks.
Next, once you have someone's attention, the simple sentence structure is 「どこは PLACE／TARGET ですか？」
This can be used in general like どこは東京ですか？for "where is Tokyo?" but for a more specific and useful example, we may ask where the train towards Kobe is.
For that you may say, どこは電車へ神戸ですか？ (どこはでんしゃへこうべですか？) doko wa densha e Kobe desu ka?
Here again we will note that the hiragana へ (he) is pronunced as "e" when used as a particle, and it refers to direction.
This sentence asks, in Japanese order- "Where train-towards-Kobe is?"
As long as you know what to call the place you are trying to go, this is a very useful template to remember. The key vocabulary here is "where" 「どこ」.
As a bonus, many younger people in cities will speak at least some English, especially if they work as a clerk in a touristy building or area. To politely ask if someone speaks English, use:
すみません、英語を話しますですか？（えいご を はなします ですか？）。
(Sumimasen, Eigo o hanashimasu desu ka?) Literally, "Excuse me, English speaking, is there?"