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Welcome to Japanese Daily News. I'm Maya. Today is June third. Japan's national soccer team has arrived in Mexico to get ready for this year's World Cup. They held their first practice in hot, humid weather, over thirty degrees. Let's listen.

Let's break it down.

Japan's national soccer team has arrived in Mexico.

It means a representative, and in sports it means the national team. So this is the group chosen to play for the whole country.

For this year's World Cup, they started practicing.

It means practice. You'll hear it for sports, music, and language study — any kind of training or rehearsal.

This World Cup will be held in three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

It means country. A very common word you'll see on maps, in the news, and when you travel.

The Japanese team is holding a training camp in a city called Monterrey, in Mexico.

It means a training camp, where a team lives and trains together in one place for a while.

On this day the temperature was above thirty degrees, and it was very hot and humid.

It means air temperature. The second character is the same one used in the word for warm.

To get used to the heat, the players did passing drills and small games.

It means to get used to something. Here the players are getting used to the heat before the big matches.

During the tournament, the team will stay in a city called Nashville, in the United States.

It means a big tournament or competition. The World Cup is one of the biggest of all.

Fans are cheering, saying, please do your best, national team.

It means cheering or support. It's what fans do for their team, and also how you encourage a friend.

Let's listen to the full story one more time.

Quiz time. Three questions.

In which country is the Japanese team holding its camp? Mexico, in a city called Monterrey.

What was the weather like on the practice day? It was very hot and humid, above thirty degrees.

Where will the team stay during the tournament? In Nashville, in the United States.

That's today's Japanese Daily News. Full transcript with furigana at podcast.jpnotes.dev. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. See you tomorrow.