I can't read Japanese either, but I played the heck out of Tokimeki Memorial on the Saturn and the PSP. I actually cleared the game with every character on the PSP version.
When I would play it, I would save before every date, and write down the first character of every possible response on a sheet of paper, along with the girl's name and the calendar date. If I picked the wrong option, I would reload and try it again. Eventually, I would see patterns that made a wrong choice less likely.
Honestly, the most important strategy in the game is to try as hard as you can to not meet girls. Pick one activity to focus on during the weeks and make up deficiencies on Sundays, when you won't risk running into anyone new. Once you start third year, you won't meet anyone else new. It's far easier to manage everyone's feelings if you only have to placate four girls rather than seven. You'll always meet Shiori and Yumi, and you'll almost always be stuck with Saki and Megumi (my least favorite of the bunch). You can then focus on one activity to meet your chosen girl.