<p>I also cannot tell you too much about the Japanese option. My D just had a year of Mandarin from Dr. Xie and I (she) can confirm what you heard. I can’t believe how much she knows in just a year! But then I am the world’s worst in foreign languages. Anyway, it is a dilemma that I think just comes down to a matter of taste for you, from what she heard about the Japanese profs they are also excellent. Japanese has been offered more comprehensively at Tulane for longer, but Tulane got a really nice Dept. of Educ. grant a couple years ago for China Studies which has allowed them to hire more faculty and grow the area, to the point where sometime this fall, if not already, China Studies should be a full stand-alone major (which my D is doing as one of her two majors). I also know that there are some interesting ties to study abroad in China with the Chinese govt., but Tulane has had some excellent ties to Japanese Universities for decades.</p>
<p>Bottom line, I think you cannot go wrong either way. Both languages could prove very useful in your future as well, so either go with your gut or go with the one that fits your schedule better. The latter might make the decision for you.</p>