C++ vs C# depends mostly on what your current short term plans are. Technologies change all the time.

If you don't like C++ that much coming from Java, then it's understandable that you feel its usability limitations. Keep in mind that Java was developed much later than C++ to address some of its complexities. But on that note, C# was also built to be a better Java after Microsoft lost the rights to bundle Java with Visual Studio! So you will probably find C# much more appealing compared to C++ if you're coming from a Java background. As others said, Unity is one of the two main engines most devs use, so you'll have a lot of opportunities to employ that knowledge quickly.

If you're interested in making games, use a game engine. If you're interested in making a game engine, start lower level. 

I think most AAA studios use their own engines probably written in C++. But C# is a perfectly fine choice. Download Unity and Visual Studio and mess around with it for a weekend. I'm an Engineer at Harebrained Schemes and we're a C#/Unity shop. 

- Eck