Thinking of learning a new language… I’ve always wanted to learn Japanese, but I’m not sure how much I’ll get out of it… TLDR: What are the benefits of learning Japanese?

When I was younger, it was the epitome of cool to be one of the rare English speakers that could speak fluent Japanese, I thought it would be an incredible skill. I’m 30 now and I’m getting back into languages. I’ve always been fascinated with the language and cultures, and I figured what better time to start than now… <br><br>I’ve done a few years of Spanish and French in school, so I’m not entirely new to languages, but Japanese has always been the one I really wanted to learn. I’m an American, living in the US, and I don’t see myself moving to Japan anytime soon, so there’s no external pressure to learn it. <br><br>I’ve been studying Korean and have been making a lot of progress lately, but in all honesty, I’ve always felt like Japanese would be more fun to learn. I listen to Japanese music often, I enjoy watching Japanese movies, and I’m an avid video game player. Korean has been interesting, but I don’t think I’ll have as many opportunities to use it…<br><br>So I guess what I’m wondering is, what are the benefits of learning Japanese? And more so, what are the benefits of learning Japanese for someone who is an American, living in America? <br><br>Is it still as valuable of a language to learn as it was in the past? I feel like Korean has a lot of career opportunities, but it’s still an underdog when it comes to learning an Asian language. It seems like everyone jumps right into Chinese or Japanese. <br><br>It seems like there are way more resources for learning Japanese, way more native speakers to practice with, and all around way more interest in Japanese, so I think it’ll be a valuable language to speak. <br><br>Anyways, thoughts? Should I stick with Korean, or make the jump to Japanese?