秋の味覚のサンマ、今年は「高級魚」に？

Welcome to Japanese Daily News. I'm Maya. Today is August twenty-second. In Japan, autumn is the season of a famous grilled fish — the Pacific saury. But this year, that fish is becoming rare and expensive. Let's listen.

Now let's break it down, sentence by sentence.

In Japan, when autumn comes, people often eat a fish called the Pacific saury. It is known as the taste of autumn.

It means autumn, the season after summer.

This year's new saury has started to appear in stores. But the price is very high.

It means price — how much something costs.

At stores in Osaka, some saury cost more than five hundred yen each. Last year, one fish was about three hundred yen.

It means last year.

It is because this year, very few saury are coming to the sea near Japan.

It means few, or a small amount — the opposite of many.

This year's saury are said to be big, fatty, and delicious.

It means fat, or oil. For fish, good fat makes the meat rich and tasty.

When September comes, the catch may increase, and the price may go down a little.

It means to increase, or to become more.

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

Time for a short quiz. Listen and try to answer.

The Pacific saury — the famous autumn fish we heard about today.

Very few — about sixty percent less than last year. It is the lowest number since the survey began.

It is said to be very good. The fish are big and fatty.

That's all for today. This autumn fish may be expensive this year, but many people still want to taste it at least once this season. If you visit Japan in autumn, try it grilled with a little salt — it's a classic. See you tomorrow.