TOKYO: Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura, the operator of the Sushizanmai sushi restaurant chain in Japan, has expressed his eagerness to buy the “most delicious” tuna in the New Year auction at the Toyosu wholesale market in Tokyo’s Koto Ward.

“We want to energize our customers by serving the tastiest tuna at cheap prices,” Kimura said in a recent interview, even though his company is struggling financially amid an economic downturn triggered by the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Kiyomura has been a regular winning bidder for the most expensive bluefin tuna at the first auction of the year, held on Jan. 5 every year at Tokyo’s main seafood market.

In 2019, the company, based in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward, made a successful bid for a 278-kilogram bluefin tuna caught off Oma, Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, in the New Year auction at the Toyosu market, at a record 333.6 million yen ($3.2 million)

The price was more than double the previous record established by Kiyomura itself in 2013 at the now-defunct Tsukiji market, whose functions were taken over by the Toyosu market in 2018.

In 2020, the company won a bid for a 276-kilogram Oma bluefin tuna, at 193.2 million yen.

These prices, lifted unexpectedly higher amid New Year’s celebratory mood, were “a little bit expensive,” Kimura recalled.

The bluefin tuna won by Kiyomura at the New Year auction is usually cut up at the main Sushizanmai outlet in the Tsukiji district in Chuo Ward, with a piece of sushi of “otoro” fatty parts from such tuna priced at 398 yen, which is the chain’s regular price for an otoro piece.

Ahead of this year’s first bluefin tuna auction on Tuesday, Kimura said, “I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of tuna would appear.”

Kiyomura’s sales fell by some 60 percent at one point in 2020 from a year before due to restaurant closures and shorter operating hours amid the epidemic.

“Everybody is experiencing a hard time,” Kimura said.

He expressed his eagerness to serve delicious tuna at affordable prices to cheer up people so that they can overcome the virus crisis.

From New Year’s Day through Tuesday, Kiyomura is providing at all Sushizanmai outlets bluefin tuna equivalent to the ones that fetched highest prices in past New Year auctions, to prevent overcrowding of customers right after the upcoming New Year auction, according to the president.

Kiyomura currently operates 58 outlets across the country.

At two new outlets opened in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward and the western Japan city of Hiroshima in November last year and later, Kiyomura started selling a piece of sushi of bigeye tuna, salmon and seven other kinds of popular fish at 60 yen, the lowest price for Sushizanmai dishes.

Kimura said that he wants customers to enjoy sushi at reasonable prices, stressing his resolve to maintain the quality of the Japanese cuisine at Sushizanmai while taking thorough steps to prevent coronavirus infection.

JIJI Press