Pacific Bluefin Tuna Fetches Unprecedented Bid of $3.2m at Tokyo New Year Sale
A substantial bluefin tuna made headlines at the Tokyo's Toyosu fish market this Monday, securing a record-breaking bid of 510.3 million yen (3.2 million US dollars; £2.4m) during the market's first auction of the year.
The top bid for the 243kg fish was submitted by the parent firm of a popular sushi restaurant group, which runs locations across the country and abroad.
"The year's tuna brings good luck," remarked the business owner, a regular bidder at the traditional new year's auction.
Known as the Tuna Tycoon, this businessman is noted for submitting high bids for premium bluefin tuna at these high-profile new year auctions.
Auction Surprise and Historic Precedent
Following the auction, the successful bidder admitted to journalists that he was "astonished at the winning bid," adding, "I believed we would be able to buy it a little for less, but the price soared rapidly."
This latest purchase tops his own notable purchases:
- He bid 56.5 million yen back in 2012.
- He spent 155 million yen a year later.
- In 2019, he won a tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1 million).
Even after once remarking that he thought he "did too much," he has now proceeded to surpass his personal record another time.
An Annual Spectacle of Exorbitant Bids
The inaugural auction at the Toyosu fish market is notoriously characterized by exorbitant prices. Last year, the initial tuna was bought for 207 million yen by a separate sushi chain operator, which indicated the fish would be available at its locations across Japan.
The frenetic atmosphere at the fish market during these pre-sunrise auctions has evolved into a must-see event in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which began around 05:00 local time, was no exception.
From Auction to Plate
The multi-million-dollar tuna was shortly thereafter sliced up for customers at the entrepreneur's sushi restaurants soon after the auction ended.
"I believe like I've begun the year in a positive way after consuming something so fortune-bringing as the year starts," said one happy diner.
