TOKYO, Jan 05 (News On Japan) - At the first tuna auction of the year held at Tokyo’s Toyosu Market, a bluefin tuna from Oma, Aomori Prefecture, was sold for 207 million yen, the second-highest price in history.
Shortly after 5 a.m. on January 5th, the traditional New Year auction began at Toyosu Market.
The highest bid was for a 276-kilogram bluefin tuna from Oma, fetching 207 million yen, significantly exceeding last year's record of 114.24 million yen.
The successful bidders were the Onodera Group, which has won the top bid for five consecutive years and operates sushi restaurants, and seafood wholesaler Yamayuki.
Onodera Holdings President Shinji Nagao said, "Since the first tuna of the year is considered an auspicious symbol, I hope people will enjoy it and have a good year ahead."
Yamayuki President Yukitaka Yamaguchi commented, "It’s hard to say whether 200 million yen as the second-highest price ever is good or not, but considering the festive occasion, it was probably a positive result."
Additionally, at the first auction for fresh sea urchin, around 400 grams of sea urchin from Hakodate, Hokkaido, paired with a lacquerware box, fetched a record 7 million yen.
This sea urchin will be served at Sushi Naomitsu in Tokyo’s Nakameguro from January 6th, priced at 400,000 yen per piece.
Source: ANN
