秋の味覚シャインマスカット、今年は甘くて安い

Welcome to Japanese Daily News. I'm Maya. Today is September eighth. It's autumn fruit season in Japan, and one big green grape is the star of the markets right now. This year it's sweeter than usual — and cheaper, too. Let's listen.

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

The autumn fruit Shine Muscat is now at its busiest shipping time of the year.

It means shipment — sending products from the farm to the stores.

Shine Muscat is a big green grape. It has no seeds, and you can eat it with the skin on.

It means skin, or peel — the outside part of a fruit.

Because this summer was very hot, the fruit became sweeter than usual.

It means sweet — like sugar or ripe fruit.

And the price is lower than last year.

It means price — how much something costs.

The reason is that more farmers now grow these grapes, so many of them line the shop shelves.

It means farmer, or a farming family.

Shine Muscat is now the most widely grown grape in Japan, and its popularity is spreading overseas, too.

It means overseas — foreign countries, across the sea.

At a farm stand in Habikino City, Osaka, big Shine Muscat grapes fill the shelves.

It means to line up — to stand or be placed in a row.

Shipments will continue until around the end of September.

It means to continue — to keep going.

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

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

It became sweeter than usual — because the summer was very hot.

It's cheaper than last year — more farmers grow these grapes now.

Until around the end of September.

That's all for today. Sweet, seedless, and easier on the wallet this year — if you visit Japan this month, a bunch of Shine Muscat is a perfect taste of autumn. See you next time!