Bluefin Tuna Fetches Record Bid of $3.2 million at Tokyo New Year Sale
A substantial Pacific bluefin tuna made headlines at the Tokyo's Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a record-breaking bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2 million; £2.4m) during the venue's first auction of the calendar year.
The top bid for the 243kg fish was submitted by the operator of a well-known sushi chain, which manages restaurants throughout Japan and internationally.
"The year's tuna brings good luck," commented the business owner, a notable participant at the traditional first sale.
Dubbed the Tuna Tycoon, this industry figure is noted for making substantial bids for premium bluefin tuna at these high-profile new year auctions.
Bidding Surprise and Historic Past
After the auction, the winner admitted to journalists that he was "surprised at the final price," stating, "I had thought we would be able to buy it a little for less, but the price skyrocketed in no time."
This new acquisition exceeds his own record purchases:
- He bid 56.5 million yen away in 2012.
- He paid 155 million yen the following year.
- In 2019, he acquired a tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1 million).
Even after previously commenting that he thought he "did too much," he has now gone on to surpass his own record once again.
An Annual Spectacle of Exorbitant Bids
The inaugural auction at the Tokyo fish market is traditionally characterized by sky-high prices. In the prior year, the first tuna was acquired for 207 million yen by a separate culinary group, which announced the fish would be featured at its restaurants throughout the country.
The intense energy at the fish market during these pre-sunrise auctions has become a popular spectacle in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which started around 05:00 local time, was equally bustling.
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The multi-million-dollar tuna was quickly sliced up for diners at the bidder's sushi establishments shortly after the auction ended.
"I believe like I've started the year in a auspicious way after tasting something so fortune-bringing as the year begins," said one elated diner.