The head of the Japanese sushi chain Sushi Zanmai, Kiyoshi Kimura, has again this year bought the most expensive tuna of the traditional New Year’s auction on the Tokyo fish market. Kimura today paid a whopping 333.6 million yen (2.7 million euros) for the 278 kilogram tuna: „The price was higher than expected, but I hope our customers will eat this excellent tuna.“
If he passed the price on to his customers, a kilo of tuna at Sushi Zanmai would cost almost 10,000 euros. But Kimura uses the followed by all Japanese media tuna auction mainly as an advertisement for its restaurant chain. He tries every year to auction the best bluefin tuna at the auction, making headlines nationwide.
This year, the auction took place for the first time on the fish market in Toyosu district – the predecessor in Tsukiji closed in 2017 after more than 80 years.
