[Nathan]

Japanese would seem easier to learn due to it having hiragana and katakana along with kanji. If you forget the kanji, you can write the word in hiragana.

With Chinese, you simply have the kanji. If you forget the kanji.. well don't forget it. Although I did hear someone once say they wrote one with a similar sound if they forgot the exact one (for an informal situation).

Also take into consideration Japanese's simply pronounciation in comparison to the tonal Chinese.

Although I have no experience in this matter, it is said the Chinese grammar is easier that Japanese grammer for someone with an English-speaking background.