Kiyoshi kimura sushi zanmai tokyo
The king has regained his throne: For seven straight years, Japan’s self-proclaimed “King of Tuna” had ruled over the first tuna auction of the new year in Tokyo. But in 2018, Kiyoshi Kimura, the president of the Japanese sushi chain Sushi Zanmai came up short. Hiroshi Onodera, owner of the luxe Sushi Ginza Onodera chain, paid $323,195 for a 893-pound Pacific bluefin tuna, beating Kimura at his own game. The king would not accept defeat again.
At this year’s auction, Kimura smashed his own record for most money paid for a single tuna. At the 2013 auction, he paid $1.8 million for a 489-pound fish, but this year he shelled out $3.1 million (333.6 million yen) for a 612-pound bluefin. That’s around $5,000 per pound.
“It’s a good tuna, but I think I paid too much,” Kimura joked to reporters after placing the winning bid.
Paying too much for a bluefin at the first predawn auction of the year has become a tradition in Tokyo. For 83 years, auctions happened at the legendary Tsukiji fish market; this year, the auction had a new home. To make room for the 2020 Olympics coming to town, Tsukiji was shuttered in October. The fish market was moved to the brand-new, $5.3 billion Toyosu market, and the auction tradition endured at the new location.
After the morning’s festivities, Kimura brought the giant fish to the flagship Sushi Zanmai location near where the old Tsukiji market used to be. Staff at the restaurant broke down the bluefin and served the rarest parts to the assembled crowd.
Of course, bluefin going for such a high price isn’t all great news. Its value has led the fish to become overfished in recent years, with countries exceeding their catch limits. Right now, the population of bluefin tuna is down to just 2.6 percent of what it used to be, according to a recent report. Hopefully measures can be taken by governments and fishery managers to ensure the future of bluefin tuna and the lavish annual au Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co. (C), poses with a tuna in front of one of the company's Sushi Zanmai restaurants after the year's first auction at Toyosu Market, Tokyo, Japan, January 5, 2020. Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co. (C), poses with a tuna in front of one of the company's Sushi Zanmai restaurants after the year's first auction at Toyosu Market, Tokyo, Japan, January 5, 2020. A celebrated Japanese sushi businessman, nicknamed "Tuna King," paid 193 million yen (1.8 million U.S. dollars) for a giant tuna at New Year's auction at Tokyo's main fish market on Sunday. Kiyoshi Kimura, who runs a successful sushi restaurant chain, purchased the 276-kilogram bluefin tuna, caught off the Aomori region in northern Japan. "This is the best," Kimura told reporters after the pre-dawn auction. Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co. (L), smiles in front of one of the company's Sushi Zanmai restaurants after the year's first auction at Toyosu Market, Tokyo, Japan, January 5, 2020. Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co. (L), smiles in front of one of the company's Sushi Zanmai restaurants after the year's first auction at Toyosu Market, Tokyo, Japan, January 5, 2020. "Yes, this is expensive, isn't it? I want our customers to eat very tasty ones this year too," he said. Media-savvy Kimura regularly pays top price at the first auction of the year at the Japanese capital's main fish market, making himself and his business a fixture in national news during this season. In last year's new year auction, Kimura paid a record 3.1 million U.S. dollars to win a 278-kilogram tuna. Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co. (R), arrives at one of the company's Sushi Zanmai restaurants after the year's first auction at Toyosu Market, Tokyo, Japan, January 5, 2020. Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co. (R), arrives at one of the company's Sushi Zanmai restaurants after the year's first auction at Toyosu Market, Tokyo, Japan, Curiosity. Also, achieving things that delight people. If I spend five minutes thinking, ideas just come floating up. So far, I’ve worked in many different types of business, including rental video stores, karaoke and obento boxed meals. Back then, people weren’t coming to Tsukiji any more. Half of the market was already shuttered, and the Central Wholesale Market was losing money. After turning 50 exactly two years earlier, I’d decided to take life easy, but Tsukiji was in trouble and I was asked to do something to revive it, so I started Sushi Zanmai. With my constant curiosity, I wanted to provide things that would make people happy, and things that hadn’t existed before. I realize this by slightly changing my perspective from what we have now to "something we wish were there." Since there aren’t as many sushi restaurants as there used to be, people don't have the environment to learn to become a sushi chef. That's why I thought of making a school to teach people how to make sushi. It’s important to make successors, and to teach the skills and must-do's a sushi chef needs. The subject has come up. The expertise of hygiene management for raw foods has not sunk in overseas, so we would have to teach that. Handling raw, high quality, and delicious foods You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese. Click [show] for important translation instructions.Vol. 3
Exclusive Interview with the CEO of SUSHI ZANMAI
Sushi Zanmai has won nationwide recognition for low prices, delicious flavors, and freshness. New Year’s auction at Tsukiji central wholesale market takes place on January 5th, and in 2013, the company’s president, Kiyoshi Kimura, became the man of the hour by buying a bluefin tuna for JPY 155.4 million.
Kiyoshi Kimura
President of Sushi ZanmaiPresident Kimura, what drives you?
In April 2001, you established the “always open” Sushi Zanmai. How do you get to your new ideas and decisions?
What prompted you to found Sushi Zanmai in 2001?
You also run Sushi Gakko (Sushi School), right?
Have you ever thought of opening Sushi Gakko branches overseas?
Kiyoshi Kimura