Blue tuna sold for 20.84 million yen ($ 202,000).
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg
A giant bluefin tuna traded for 20.84 million yen ($ 202,000) Tuesday in the first ceremonial auction of the year at Toyosu’s fish market in Tokyo, a price representing just the 10th of last year’s bid.
The 208.4-kilogram (459-pound) tuna, caught off Oma in northern Japan, sold for 100,000 yen per kilogram, according to Masahiro Miura, an official at the Tokyo market. The decline reflects a decline in demand as pandemic has caused people to stop eating out and as authorities are urging restaurants in some urban areas to close early.
The auction also comes at a time when a state of emergency is being considered for Tokyo and the surrounding areas as daily virus cases pass at higher rates.
Buyers explore tuna ahead of the first auction of the year at Toyosu Market on January 5th.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg
Japanese wholesaler Yamayuki won the auction, the Nikkei newspaper reported earlier. The price for the closely watched New Year ‘s blue auction has been rising in recent years amid competition. Kiyomura Corp., which runs a series of Sushizanmai restaurants throughout Japan, paid the highest 333.6 million yen in 2019 and 193.2 million yen last year. The tuna is cut this year and will be served at the Ginza Onodera sushi restaurant.
– With the help of Takaaki Iwabu