A massive bluefin tuna made headlines at the Tokyo's Toyosu fish market this Monday, achieving a record-breaking bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2m; £2.4m) during the venue's inaugural auction of the calendar year.
The winning offer for the 243kg fish was submitted by the operator of a popular sushi chain, which manages locations domestically and abroad.
"The first tuna brings good luck," commented the business owner, a familiar figure at the traditional first sale.
Referred to as the King of Tuna, this entrepreneur is renowned for submitting substantial bids for bluefin tuna at these high-profile new year auctions.
Bidding Shock and Historic Past
After the auction, the winner told journalists that he was "surprised at the winning bid," noting, "I expected we would be able to buy it a little cheaper, but the price skyrocketed rapidly."
This most recent acquisition tops his previous notable purchases:
- He bid 56.5 million yen back 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 once saying 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 first auction at the Tokyo fish market is notoriously associated with exorbitant prices. The previous year, the initial tuna was bought for 207 million yen by a different culinary group, which indicated the fish would be featured at its locations across Japan.
The intense activity at the fish market during these early morning auctions has become a major spectacle in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which started around 05:00 local time, was no exception.
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The extremely valuable tuna was shortly thereafter processed for diners at the entrepreneur's sushi establishments immediately after the auction was finished.
"I sense like I've begun the year in a good way after tasting something so lucky as the year begins," shared one satisfied diner.
