TUNA – J Passport Selection

How is TUNA from Toyosu Direct different ?

The amount of tuna traded at Tsukiji Fish Market (former fish market) in 2018 was approximately 5,800 tons.
The market is renowned especially for its tuna and attracts tourists who are eager to try sushi and seafood bowls

at the market's sushi restaurants and seafood eateries, resulting in long queues every day.
Tuna at Tsukiji Fish Market comes not only from the waters near Japan but also from various countries around the world.
Different types, sizes, and regions of tuna are available.

The sushi restaurants and traditional Japanese restaurants handle the finest quality tuna.
Near Tsukiji Fish Market, the predecessor of Toyosu Market, is the bustling Ginza district, one of Japan's most vibrant shopping areas.

To cater to the customers there, sushi restaurants and traditional Japanese restaurants carefully select their ingredients,
resulting in Toyosu Market becoming the gathering place for the highest quality tuna in Japan.

The best of best TUNA all over Japan

Tuna Connoisseurs at Toyosu Market

The world of "tuna connoisseurs" is quite deep. At the beginning of 2019, a tuna was sold for 333.6 million yen at the first first auction of the Toyosu market.

It weighed 278 kg and cost 1.2 million yen per kilogram. By the way, the highest price on July 4, 2019 is 13,500 yen. You can see how great this price is.

Tuna from Oma: 333.6 million yen Record high price at the first auction on Toyosu.

Even in the same sea area, the evaluation changes drastically in autumn.

Tuna are evaluated based on variety, size, ocean area, and condition. The tuna are evaluated by "wholesalers" and "buyers," the people who have the right to buy the tuna at the auction.

This connoisseurship is also difficult, and is judged by looking at the cross section of the tail and the belly, but when the tuna is actually cut, it may not have as much fat as expected, or it may be good for a day or two, but after a few days it may be ruined.

Tuna from Sea of Japan

Bluefin tuna are "Migratory fish," meaning that they swim without resting until they die.

They spawn off the coast of Okinawa, and from spring to summer, they split into two groups (Nagasaki side and Kochi side) and move northward, reaching the northern limit around the Tsugaru Strait before moving southward again.

On the Sea of Japan side, famous fishing grounds are off Iki in Nagasaki, Sakaiminato in Tottori, and Sado Island in Niigata.

On the Pacific Ocean side, Aburatsu in Miyazaki, Katsuura in Wakayama, Yaizu in Shizuoka, and Shiogama in Miyagi are famous.

Young tunas (1-3 years old) are the main species migrating to the Sea of Japan side. On the Pacific Ocean side, young tunas migrate in coastal waters until they are 2 to 3 years old, and when they become large enough, they migrate long distances across the Pacific Ocean to the continental United States.

Speciality about Parts of Tuna

Tuna is divided into quarters along the spine, creating dorsal and ventral sections. Each quarter is then divided into three sections, resulting in twelve sections per fish.

The dorsal side consists of the "kama" (near the head), "naka" (in the middle), and "shimo" (near the tail). The ventral side consists of the "hara-kama" (near the head), "hara-naka" (in the middle), and "hara-shimo" (near the tail). These names are relatively easy to understand.

The dorsal side is primarily red meat, while the ventral side is centered around fatty tuna ("toro").

As it reaches the shimo section, it becomes more focused on chutoro (medium fatty tuna) and contains more red meat. Similarly, on the dorsal side, the order of value is kama > naka > shimo, with the focus being on red meat.

At restaurants, tuna is divided into smaller portions for sushi or sashimi.

The taste varies within categories like otoro, chutoro, and akami, depending on the tuna type and section used.

Tuna auction at Toyosu Market

The Toyosu Market is particularly famous for its tuna auctions. The tuna auction is a system whereby middlemen, restaurant owners, and others gather at the market early each morning to bid on fresh tuna. Tuna is known as a high-end fish and is especially important in Japanese cuisine and sushi culture.

Buyers at Toyosu Market have a profound understanding of which fish are the best, based on their individual areas of expertise.

These experts come from generations of family businesses and have strong connections passed down from their ancestors.