Pacific Bluefin Tuna Fetches Unprecedented Sum of 3.2 million dollars at Japanese Capital New Year Sale
A massive Pacific bluefin tuna caused a stir at the Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a historic bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2m; £2.4m) during the market's opening auction of the year.
The winning bid for the 243-kilogram fish was placed by the parent firm of a popular sushi chain, which operates restaurants across the country and overseas.
"The first tuna heralds good luck," stated the entrepreneur, a regular participant at the annual new year's auction.
Known as the Tuna Tycoon, this businessman is famous for making high bids for premium bluefin tuna at these symbolic year-opening auctions.
Auction Surprise and Historic Precedent
Following the auction, the winner told the press that he was "surprised at the final price," noting, "I believed we would be able to buy it a little for less, but the price skyrocketed rapidly."
This latest acquisition tops his own record purchases:
- He bid 56.5 million yen back in 2012.
- He spent 155 million yen a year later.
- In 2019, he purchased a tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1m).
Despite once remarking that he thought he "overdid it," he has now managed to surpass his own record yet again.
An Annual Spectacle of Exorbitant Bids
The inaugural auction at the Toyosu fish market is traditionally known for sky-high prices. In the prior year, the initial tuna was bought for 207 million yen by another food company, which announced the fish would be served at its locations nationwide.
The frenetic activity at the fish market during these pre-dawn 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 promptly prepared for diners at the winner's sushi restaurants immediately after the auction concluded.
"I feel like I've started the year in a good way after tasting something so fortune-bringing as the year begins," said one elated customer.
