According to Japan Times , this bluefin tuna weighed 238kg and was caught off the coast of Oma, Aomori province, northeastern Japan.
The buyers were wholesaler Yamayuki (Tokyo) and restaurant operator Ginza Onodera Sushi. This auction team has won the bid for four consecutive years.
The tuna will be sold by Yamayuki and Sushi Ginza Onodera at their stores in Tokyo. Sushi Onodera is a Michelin-starred luxury sushi restaurant in the Ginza district.
Mr. Hiroki Matsushita, an employee at the fish market, said the price of tuna sold this time was three times higher than last year's price at Toyosu fish market in Tokyo.
This year is the first year that the price of a tuna has exceeded 100 million yen, and it is also the fourth highest price for a tuna since the auction began in 1999.
A tuna worth 114.24 million yen was sold at a fish market (Photo: Bloomberg).
"The decisive factor for this price is the freshness and vibrant color of the tuna. We are grateful to the fishermen who braved the cold to catch it," Mr. Yukitaka Yamaguchi, a wholesaler at Yamayuki, told the Japan Times.
Regarding the recent earthquake that occurred in the first days of the new year, Yukitaka Yamaguchi said he had mixed feelings about whether to stop participating. "But we decided to participate with the belief that we also need positive news," he shared.
Tuna auctions are considered auspicious and have long been a unique cultural feature of Japan. Tuna symbolizes good luck and is a traditional dish for every New Year in the land of the rising sun.
The event took place at Toyosu fish market, one of Tokyo's most popular tourist attractions.
In the history of early-year tuna auctions in Japan, this year's tuna price is still modest compared to the record 333.6 million yen recorded in 2019.
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