At the beginning of the new year in Japan, at the most prestigious fish market, a bluefin tuna the size of a motorcycle was sold for $1.3 million (207 million yen), setting a new record as the second-highest price at the New Year auction. This auction of the fish, considered auspicious, has become a tradition in Japan.
According to reports from Kyodo News, on January 5th, the Michelin-starred sushi restaurant group Onodera Group acquired this bluefin tuna weighing 276 kilograms (608 pounds) at the Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo for a million dollars.
It was reported that this tuna came from Oma, Aomori Prefecture, and its size and weight are almost equivalent to that of a motorcycle.
The Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo is considered the world’s largest seafood wholesale market, famous for its predawn auctions of bluefin tuna. This is the second-highest price ever fetched at the Toyosu Fish Market since collecting auction data of this kind since 1999. The highest recorded bid was in 2019 for a tuna weighing 278 kilograms, with a bid of $3.1 million (333.6 million yen). The bidder was known as the “Tuna King,” Kiyoshi Kimura, who runs the national chain sushi restaurant Sushi Zanmai.
The Onodera Group, who won the bid for the tuna, stated that the fish will be served at their Michelin-starred restaurant, “Ginza Onodera,” and at their Nadaman restaurants across the country.
“Ginza Onodera” has branches in Tokyo and Los Angeles.
Agence France-Presse reported that Shinji Nagao, the head of the Onodera Group, told reporters after the auction, “The first tuna signifies bringing good luck.”
He added that this tuna was caught in the northern Aomori region of Japan, and he hopes that people who eat this fish can “have a wonderful year.”
The group has paid the highest price at the Toyosu Fish Market’s bluefin tuna auction for the past five years, earning the title of “Fish King.” Last year, the group paid $789,000 to acquire a tuna weighing 238 kilograms (525 pounds).
Masahiro Takeuchi, the fisherman who caught this fish, expressed to Japanese media that he feels “incredibly happy.”
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), bluefin tuna is the largest tuna species, with a lifespan of up to 40 years. This endangered species can weigh up to 1,500 pounds and grow up to 10 feet in length.