I think my dad wants me to learn Japanese instead of his ancestral language

My dad’s first language is Cantonese and I told him that I’m interested in improving my Cantonese (we both live in the USA). He didn’t seem very excited and said that I should “… learn every single language if I have the time.” He also added “make sure you keep up your Japanese”. After that we proceeded to talk about the best textbooks for learning Japanese. Simply put, my 65 year old dad was more excited talking about Japanese than about Cantonese.

I wonder if any of you have had a similar experience? Are there any parents out there who want their kids to learn Japanese over their ancestral language ? I like both Japanese and Cantonese but my dad’s lackluster reaction is pushing me to focus only on Japanese.