High grade wagyu can cost up to $200 per pound, and the cows themselves can sell for as much as $30,000.

高級和牛は1ポンド200ドル、牛そのものは3万ドルで取引されることもある。

These cows were bred for physical endurance, giving them more intramuscular fat cells.

この牛は肉体的な耐久性を高めるために飼育されたため、筋肉内の脂肪細胞が多くなっています。

The fat is distributed more evenly throughout their muscle, which is why wagyu beef looks pink and tastes so tender.

そのため、和牛は見た目がピンク色で、味もやわらかいのです。

The fattening farmer will keep the animals in small pens and feed them a mixture of fiber and high energy concentrate made from rice, wheat and hay.

肥育農家では、小さなペンで飼い、米や麦、干し草などから作った繊維質と高エネルギー濃厚飼料を混ぜたものを与えることにしています。

They're often fed this three times a day for almost two years until the animals are almost 50% fat, the length of the fattening process and the import prices of the huge amount of concentrated feed increases the cost of the beef and over this fattening period each cow will eat five tons of feed.

これを1日3回、脂肪率50％近くになるまで2年近く食べさせることが多く、肥育期間の長さと大量の濃厚飼料の輸入価格が牛肉のコストを上げ、この肥育期間に牛1頭が5トンもの飼料を食べることになるのです。