$177K 500lb Bluefin Tuna

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_giant_tuna_sold

Unbelievable that a fish can cost that much!!!

Nice. Believe it or not but Black fin tuna goes for even more in J-land.

Z

I've still never been to Tsukiji - always wanted to check it out but never managed to get up that earlier when over there.

you can vicariously visit...

more

oh steve, dem's fightin words there..i need to go into my computer and scratch up a few too!

I've still never been to Tsukiji - always wanted to check it out but never managed to get up that earlier when over there.

the trick is to go the first night...you're usually messed up from jet lag and can't sleep anyways, so just head on over immediately.  that's what we did - my wife and i went to tokyo for our honeymoon. ended up at tsukiji the first morning and had our most expensive breakfast (up to that time) - it was well over 100USD for the two of us for a fresh sushi breakfast.  the line at the restaurant was ridiculous, took us nearly an hour to get in.  worth it though.  our trick was to walk around the little sushi houses and find the one with the longest line of "local" looking people then wait.

I was told that the really outrageous priced fish are mostly a symbolic deal.  Getting the first fish of the new year, or some other special reason.  Then the winner gets to trumpet his success at scoring it, a prestige thing.  Not sure if its true, but makes sense.

used to be that you could just walk into the tuna auction, now its closed to public-- but those pics are from it...last year when we were there i just wandered in when the service door was open...everyone was too polite to throw out the honky. the market is midway between the hotel and our office, so its always a good excuse to stop in on the way into work for a US call.

       And to think you can still buy a can of tuna for about 59 cents.

       And to think you can still buy a can of tuna for about 59 cents.

Are you sure it's Tuna meat in the can? 

       And to think you can still buy a can of tuna for about 59 cents.

Are you sure it's Tuna meat in the can? 

It might be whale meat from the Nisshin Maru...

Sorry, j/k , I's love some right now.