Pacific Bluefin Tuna Fetches Unprecedented Bid of $3.2 million at Tokyo New Year Sale
A bulky Pacific bluefin tuna caused a stir at the Tokyo's Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a record-breaking bid of 510.3 million yen (3.2 million US dollars; £2.4m) during the venue's inaugural auction of the year.
The winning offer for the 243-kilogram fish was submitted by the operator of a popular sushi chain, which operates locations domestically and abroad.
"The year's tuna brings good luck," commented the entrepreneur, a regular bidder at the annual January sale.
Dubbed the King of Tuna, this entrepreneur is noted for placing high bids for bluefin tuna at these auspicious January auctions.
Bidding Shock and Record-Setting Precedent
Following the auction, the successful bidder informed the press that he was "taken aback at the amount," stating, "I expected we would be able to acquire it a little cheaper, but the price escalated before you knew it."
This latest purchase tops his previous record purchases:
- He paid 56.5 million yen away in 2012.
- He bid 155 million yen a year later.
- In 2019, he won a tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1m).
Even after previously saying that he thought he "overdid it," he has now managed to break his personal record another time.
An Annual Spectacle of Exorbitant Bids
The opening auction at the Toyosu fish market is typically associated with exorbitant prices. The previous year, the first tuna was purchased for 207 million yen by a different culinary group, which stated the fish would be available at its locations nationwide.
The intense energy at the fish market during these pre-dawn auctions has become a must-see tourist attraction in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which commenced around 05:00 local time, was equally bustling.
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The extremely valuable tuna was shortly thereafter sliced up for diners at the entrepreneur's sushi restaurants soon after the auction ended.
"I sense like I've started the year in a positive way after eating something so fortune-bringing as the year begins," remarked one happy customer.