Bluefin Tuna Sells for Unprecedented Price of $3.2 million at Japanese Capital Auction
A bulky bluefin tuna caused a stir at the Toyosu fish market this Monday, achieving a record-breaking bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2 million; £2.4m) during the market's first auction of the new year.
The successful bid for the 243kg fish was placed by the parent firm of a well-known sushi restaurant group, which operates locations domestically and internationally.
"The year's tuna heralds good luck," remarked the company president, a notable figure at the annual January sale.
Referred to as the Tuna Tycoon, this entrepreneur is noted for placing substantial bids for bluefin tuna at these symbolic year-opening auctions.
Auction Shock and Record-Setting Past
Following the auction, the successful bidder informed reporters that he was "taken aback at the amount," noting, "I expected we would be able to acquire it a little for less, but the price escalated before you knew it."
This most recent purchase surpasses his own record purchases:
- He bid 56.5 million yen back in 2012.
- He bid 155 million yen a year later.
- In 2019, he acquired a tuna for 333.6 million yen (2.1 million dollars).
Despite once saying that he thought he "overdid it," he has now managed to surpass his own record yet again.
An Annual Spectacle of Exorbitant Bids
The opening auction at the Toyosu fish market is notoriously associated with sky-high prices. The previous year, the initial tuna was bought for 207 million yen by a different food company, which stated the fish would be available at its locations across Japan.
The frenetic activity at the fish market during these pre-dawn auctions has become a major event in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which commenced around 05:00 local time, was no exception.
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The extremely valuable tuna was promptly sliced up for patrons at the bidder's sushi restaurants immediately after the auction was finished.
"I feel like I've begun the year in a auspicious way after eating something so auspicious as the year gets underway," shared one satisfied customer.
