Bluefin Tuna Commands Record Bid of $3.2 million at Tokyo New Year Sale

A substantial Pacific bluefin tuna made headlines at the Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a historic bid of 510.3 million yen (3.2 million US dollars; £2.4m) during the venue's inaugural auction of the year.

The top bid for the 243-kilogram fish was placed by the company of a nationwide sushi restaurant group, which runs outlets domestically and abroad.

"An inaugural tuna brings good luck," commented the business owner, a regular bidder at the annual January sale.

Referred to as the Tuna King, this industry figure is renowned for submitting record bids for bluefin tuna at these symbolic new year auctions.

Auction Surprise and Record-Setting Past

Following the auction, the successful bidder informed the press that he was "taken aback at the winning bid," stating, "I had thought we would be able to acquire it a little for less, but the price skyrocketed rapidly."

This new acquisition exceeds his own notable purchases:

• He bid 56.5 million yen away in 2012.
• He paid 155 million yen in 2013.
• In 2019, he won a tuna for 333.6 million yen (2.1 million dollars).

Even after previously remarking that he thought he "overdid it," he has now proceeded to surpass his personal record once again.

An Annual Spectacle of High Prices

The inaugural auction at the Tokyo fish market is notoriously associated with sky-high prices. In the prior year, the first tuna was bought for 207 million yen by another culinary group, which announced the fish would be available at its restaurants throughout the country.

The frenetic activity at the fish market during these early morning auctions has become a must-see spectacle in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which began around 05:00 local time, was no different.

Immediate Consumption

The record-priced tuna was shortly thereafter sliced up for diners at the bidder's sushi establishments immediately after the auction concluded.

"I feel like I've commenced the year in a positive way after consuming something so lucky as the year starts," remarked one happy patron.