Scottish Highland Road Trip vs. Japan -- Help Me Decide!

Hi all,

My wife and I are looking to plan a trip for this fall (probably mid-October) for about 1.5 weeks. We're stuck between either renting a car and road tripping through the Scottish Highlands (probably starting in either Edinburgh or Glasgow and making our way up to Skye), OR going to Japan and visiting a few of the major cities (Tokyo, Kyoto, and maybe a coastal town).

We've been to Scotland before (but not so far north into the Highlands) and have never been to Japan. We're from the US, so the shorter flight and common language in the UK is lending some comfort to us. However, the idea of going to Japan for autumn foliage is really appealing to me. We've also never been to Asia before, so it would be another thing to cross off the bucket list.

My main question is if anyone's been to either the Scottish Highlands or Japan around mid-October, what were your experiences like? Also more specifically, how is the language barrier in Japan as someone who only speaks English? If we end up choosing Japan, I'd obviously learn a few basic phrases, but I currently know no Japanese.

Thank you all for your help!!!