Toyosu Market is Tokyo’s new seafood market, which replaced Tsukiji Market in October 2018. It is located in the Toyosu district, near Tokyo Bay, and is three times larger than the old Tsukiji market. Toyosu Market is a modern complex with advanced technology for seafood preservation and distribution.
Toyosu Market is divided into three main sections: fresh seafood section, frozen seafood section and vegetable section. The fresh seafood section is where fishmongers sell fresh seafood, while the frozen seafood section is dedicated to selling frozen seafood. The vegetable section is where vendors offer fresh vegetables to accompany the seafood.
Toyosu Market is also equipped with modern technology to ensure the quality of food products. Seafood is kept in salt water tanks and transported in electric carts to minimize damage to the products. The market also has a water quality control system to ensure that the fish and seafood are kept in optimal conditions.
Tuna auctions
Tuna auctions in Japan have become a popular tourist attraction, especially since the Tsukiji market in Tokyo opened its doors to visitors in 1935. Tsukiji Market was the largest seafood market in the world until it closed in 2018, but the tuna auctions have since been moved to the new Toyosu Market.
Tuna auctions are held early in the morning, usually between 5am and 6am, in a special section of the market called the “Tuna Auction Hall”. The auctions are reserved for professional buyers, who compete for the best tuna based on quality and size.
The tuna sold at the Toyosu auction are mainly Pacific bluefin tuna, also called yellowfin tuna. These fish are highly prized for their dark red flesh and are often used to prepare high quality sushi and sashimi. Auctions can reach astronomical amounts, with some tuna selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Tuna auctions are often very lively, with bidders shouting prices and using hand gestures to communicate. The bidding process is fast and intense, with auctions that can last only a few minutes. Buyers have to be quick to grab the bids and win the best fish.
In addition to being a fascinating spectacle, tuna auctions in Japan are important to the country’s fishing industry, which is one of the largest in the world. The Toyosu Tuna Auction is an important indicator of the price and demand for the endangered Pacific bluefin tuna.
The records for tuna auctions in Japan are often very high and regularly make the headlines. Here are some of the most famous records:
- The current record for the most expensive tuna sold at auction is held by Kiyoshi Kimura, owner of the sushi restaurant chain Sushizanmai, who bought a 278-kilogram Pacific bluefin tuna for 333.6 million yen (about $3.1 million) at the Toyosu auction in January 2019.
- The previous record for the most expensive tuna sold at auction was also held by Kiyoshi Kimura, who bought a 222-kilogram tuna for 155.4 million yen (about $1.76 million) at the Tsukiji auction in 2013.
- The record for the most expensive Pacific bluefin tuna ever sold is 20.2 million yen (about $177,000) for a 278-kilogram tuna sold at the Tsukiji auction in 2017.
These records illustrate how competitive tuna auctions can be and the significant amounts of money they can generate. However, it is important to note that most tuna sold at Toyosu auctions are sold at more reasonable prices for restaurateurs and wholesalers. The records are often the result of competition between buyers to buy the best tuna of exceptional quality. Buying the most expensive tuna at tuna auctions in Japan can bring a lot of publicity to the winner. Local and international media often cover these auctions, and the winner can gain considerable exposure for his or her business or sushi restaurant chain. Customers may also be attracted to the idea of eating tuna purchased at a record auction.
