And that’s exactly my point, which is the reason why I don’t think this method of intense study would accomplish the goal that the OP wants to achieve, which is to communicate with natives and navigate around Japan.
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I’m studying abroad in Japan! You need a lot less than you would expect, I wasn’t quite at n5 when I first came, but being able to have basic conversations only. The point of studying abroad is to learn the language, so it’s completely fine to not be fluent or proficient before leaving. My other exchange student friends knew nothing but hiragana and greetings when they came.
The main difference is that you pick up the language faster if you know more before you come. If you know nothing, it takes longer to get on your feet and conversing. If you can already have conversations when you get there, you can get better at talking faster.
For reference, my friends(that knew next to nothing) were able understand most of the simple everyday sentences and reply using words(not grammar) after a couple months. By 6 months they could understand most of what people were saying and could conjugate verbs but still couldn’t really form proper sentences yet. Now after 9 months, they can talk in sentences. (note: this is living with a host family but not studying Japanese formally outside of day to day life)
For me, I could understand basic sentences, not quite n5, and could reply(like questions about my family or what I did that day). At the 5ish month point there was a visible jump in ability, where I could talk in full sentences and understand most of what was being said in household and classroom contexts. Now at 9 months, I can understand nearly everything at home (spoken at native speeds) and can reply in sentences, and also the majority of what’s happening on tv. Now I’m mostly focusing on learning how to speak formally and reading. I usually think in Japanese now, and haven’t needed to translate things in my head for a while now.
However I’m technically only at N4 level. I don’t know enough kanji or grammar or vocab for N3 written etc. However I can easily understand n3’s listening, and a decent amount of n2(lots of concentration tho ><) If people ask me if I’m fluent, if they only speak one language, I’ll say yes, and if they speak multiple I’ll say no haha
My recommendations are to study vocab as much as possible before leaving, and also to continue throughout. for grammar just as much as you can, n5 is good, further is better, but whatever works. I’d recommend doing like half the n5 grammar first, get that out of the way, then making vocab a big focus. With n5 grammar, you will be able to form your own sentences, but even if you haven’t studies the n4 stuff yet, it’s still pretty easy to understand, even if you don’t know how to say it yourself. A lot of it is mixing verbs together like 走り始める(to start running) for example, you might not know that you need to put 走る into the 走り form to put the two together, but if you know what 走る and 始める means, you can understand it if someone says it to you. The main problem is if you don’t know enough vocab to understand it. So I would definitely recommend focusing on vocab.
Another thing I would recommend is to start writing a diary in Japanese every night. Practice using the grammar and vocab you have learnt, and with this practice it will help you be able to speak immediately when you arrive.
Sorry for how long it is, but I hope it helps! let me know if you have any questions!
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Wow that’s awesome and super helpful thank you!!
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If it ended in 飲んでください, maybe it was 遠慮[せずに/しないで]飲んでください? In which case you followed the “don’t hesitate to drink” to the letter 
(Thinking about it, I actually don’t have any idea how a sentence that starts with 遠慮 and ends with 飲んでください could lead to “refrain from drinking”.)
This was two years ago, and I didn’t understand the sign at the time. I can’t remember that clearly.
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