Just curious on the opinions here. Let’s talk about it. Spent 2 years learning Japanese only to be told by Japanese people that it’s a waste of time because all Japanese people are trying to learn English lol. Tried learning Spanish, kinda the same thing. Every time I’ve tried to speak to Spanish speakers in Spanish, they’d rather practice English.
So I’m kinda curious on what y’all think.
I think it depends on why you want to learn a new language. Is it to learn something new and keep your brain active? Is it to visit different cultures and understand undercurrents around you that you would miss otherwise?
Best case scenario is a language of a culture that really captivates you so that you take a deep dive due to your inner fascination with that language/culture.
Second best scenario is a language you would profit from to learn career-wise. What languages are spoken by majorities of the world population (besides English)?
Third best option: choose randomly.
The situation you described above is one that you will experience very often no matter where you go.
But maybe flip the script a bit: what about sign language or a tactile alphabet like Braille?
Do you want to learn that new language spoken and in writing? Only phonetically?
If you want easy languages go with the western European languages since they are tightly related to English.
If you want spoken and written as a challenge go with languages that don’t use the Roman alphabet.
Or learn one of the Khoisan languages 
Just so many languages to choose from. And so many individualistic variables to get to a decision.
I mean French, maybe its different today but I remember them not wanting to use English that much, especially in their own country. Might be the old rivalry with Britain?
I’m learning Portuguese atm but its because I live there now. But rurally here its a lot of people talking native to me. But I guess on big cities it might be another thing. But a lot tourism here is beginning to change things.
Mandarin. China has a HUGE percentage of the population, so it couldn’t hurt to speak the language.
What got you into learning Japanese and Spanish in the first place?
It´s hard to give a definite answer to this without a clear goal(s).
Anime and latinas
I read a post recently of someone who pretended not to know English to get in his speaking practice when on a trip abroad. This is always an option (though for obvious reasons not ideal for building relationships). Or you can try to split time exchanging languages.
Furthermore, ask yourself what your goals are with learning a language. With a language like Japanese, it could be to watch untranslated anime or read manga with full comprehension. But it, as you know, requires much effort and patience.
In reality, if you want to form relationships with someone from a different country, aim to speak their native language better than they speak yours. The desire to comprehend each other will override their desire to practice English in the long run. (Language fatigue will inevitably kick in for the weaker language).
To build up to higher output effectiveness, either practice with a tutor or in spheres where little English is actually known. Also, shadow on your own time (repeat phrases outloud), and consider using AI to practice writing in your target language (LLMs are getting very effective for language learning).
Also, out of curiousity, what methods did you use to learn Japanese years ago?
Took classes in college and practiced on my own a ton.
You might already be aware of the JP Refold discord group, but if not (and if you’re still interested in building the momentum you already have in that language), I recommend talking to some of the members here for tips on how they output with natives. The mods and regular members have a lot of cumulative experience with the main concern you mentioned.
Fair enough 
Personally I´d go for languages from countries/cultural backrounds that I share some form of connection with already.
If I ´d have a preference for latinas, learning spanish would be a given, it´d be high ROI in the context of deeper connections.
The Spanish connection is there as an American who lives in the south west. Spanish is pretty much the second language of the region. Most people (myself included) speak a little Spanglish.
Tbh though, I’m just not really feeling like it’s fully worth the investment of time and energy to learn the language at a high level, so I’m kinda looking for something that will be worth the countless hours it’ll take me to learn a language.
Also, Latinas love anime, so TBH I’ve impressed more Latinas by speaking a little Japanese than by speaking a little Spanish lol.
I feel like this is the stronger pull to me right this second.
This is a good point. In terms of just raw ROI, Mandarin might be the way to go.
Really, would they theoretically have a thing for half asian guys then?..
Probably, all I know is that anime is really popular in Mexico and a lot of the spanish dubs are actually pretty good. Dragon Ball Z is a phenomenon over there. Goku is literally a household name
Thank you all for indulging me.
I’m just gonna go back to learning Japanese and to heck with the rest. It’s fun, I like the way it sounds, and I’ll be a lot happier in a few years if I can speak a second language, regardless of what language it is.
I like South Asian women, but they mostly speak English. Maybe I’ll try Arabic for the sake of being thorough lol
Best of luck, I’ve heard Arabic is a tough one!
Best thing isn’t which language but how.
Get a Pimsleur monthly subscription and play around with ones you’re interested in. It’s by far the best way to get the basics of a language and see if you like studying/speaking it