Hello everyone, i am from Serbia and, just signed a sports contract in Yokohama,
i will live alone, and need some advices:
1. Is it expensive to live there (i have an apartment covered by the team)
2. Can you recommend me shops and markets where to buy food?
3. Does Japanese people speak English?
I cant wait to come and meet new culture! If you are from Yokohama we can meet there too
5 comments
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**Basketball player in Japan**
Hello everyone, i am from Serbia and, just signed a sports contract in Yokohama,
i will live alone, and need some advices:
1. Is it expensive to live there (i have an apartment covered by the team)
2. Can you recommend me shops and markets where to buy food?
3. Does Japanese people speak English?
I cant wait to come and meet new culture! If you are from Yokohama we can meet there too
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>Is it expensive to live there
Given the salary you’re likely to be making as a pro player and the fact that your rent is covered you’ll be fine.
>Can you recommend me shops and markets where to buy food?
Yokohama is a ***BIG*** city. It’s impossible to recommend anything based purely on “I will live in Yokohama”.
Just use Google Maps to find something near where you live.
>Does Japanese people speak English?
They speak Japanese.
>Is it expensive to live there (i have an apartment covered by the team)
How long is a piece of string? It is possible to live a very frugal lifestyle, but it is also possible to live a very extravagant one. I’m assuming you’re going to be playing in B-League as I can’t imagine the lower tier being able to pay enough for immigration to allow visa sponsorship. The lowest paid import player in B-League gets around double the average income for a Japanese salaried employee. So you’ll probably be able to afford a pretty comfortable lifestyle, even if you had to pay rent out of pocket.
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>Can you recommend me shops and markets where to buy food?
When you arrive, talk to the people on your team and explore the neighbourhood you live in. You’ll find the convenient stores pretty easily. If you’re looking for more specialty stuff like comfort foods from back home, you’ll want to look for the import stores like Kaldi. Again, explore your neighbourhood and see what you can find.
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>Does Japanese people speak English?
There are a number of Japanese people who speak excellent English, but they are a small minority. In general you should not expect to be able to use English with anyone you run into. I’d expect your team will have some handlers available to help you with getting settled in and to help handle any situations that may come up. Be sure to use those resources until you’re comfortable navigating on your own.
Congrats, and good luck!
1. you’ll be fine if your rent is covered
2. open google maps and search for supermarkets around your place
3. no, not many of us do
As others have stated, “expensive” is relative. However, given your likely salary and the fact that your apartment is taken care of, you’ll probably be quite comfortable. I come from a very expensive area in the US and I find Yokohama very reasonable.
Yokohama is very big, and your options for buying food are wide. Be sure to ask your teammates and colleagues where they like to shop, especially if they live in the same neighborhood. You’ll find everything from quick snacks from the convenience stores, to large supermarkets, to small vegetable shops, butchers, etc, to specialty import grocery stores where you can find things like European chocolate, American chips, etc.
Yokohama is very international, but most Japanese people do not speak fluent English. However, you should be able to get by with a few phrases, some smiles, and lots of gesturing. My parents speak no Japanese and visit frequently without issue.
Yokohama is a lovely city! Enjoy it!