Kiyomura K.K., a Tokyo-based sushi chain, paid a record 155.4 million yen ($1.76 million), almost triple last year’s amount, to outbid an affiliate of a Hong Kong-based rival at the Tsukiji market’s first 2013 auction. The fresh whole tuna weighed 222 kilograms (489 pounds), enough to be carved into about 10,000 pieces for sushi, Kiyomura President Kiyoshi Kimura said in an interview. It was the second time in a row Kiyomura beat out Itamae Sushi Japan K.K., an affiliate of the Hong Kong-based Taste of Japan Group that last won the auspicious first tuna at Tsukiji in 2011. Kiyomura could lose as much as 154 million yen on the purchase this year, based on the estimated 15,540 yen it paid for each piece of sushi and the minimum 128 yen it charges per serving. The chain’s president said he had bid 56 million yen to ensure the fish was won by a Japanese following the March 11, 2011, earthquake. This year, amid heightened with China, President Kiyoshi Kimura said he expected people from both countries to partake.

“There are some political difficulties, but Japanese customers and Chinese customers come to our restaurant, and what we want is for everyone to enjoy our sushi,” Kimura said in an interview at his Tsukiji restaurant after the 5:30 a.m. auction on Jan. 5. He said that while his bid was “expensive,” the company would serve the tuna at regular prices. By 3:30 a.m. on auction day, bidders had begun arriving at the warehouse-like building to inspect the fish. Two hours later, at the ring of a hand-bell, traders started thrusting arms up, hands signaling the amounts of their bids. Seconds later, the deal was done for the year’s inaugural tuna. Auctions at Tsukiji, the world’s largest fish market that stretches over an area the size of 43 football fields, influence prices all over the world, according to Sasha Issenberg, author of “The Sushi Economy.” “It’s like a combination of Wall Street and Sotheby’s in the art market and a commodities trading floor,” he said.

Itamae had bid as much as 151 million yen for the fish, Makoto Kondo, a spokesman for the Hong Kong-based sushi chain, said by phone Jan. 5. He also said the company’s intention was to share the fish with Japanese customers. “Until last year, we took the tuna to our customers overseas, but we really wanted to deliver it to the Japanese people, so the fact that we lost is very unfortunate,” Kondo said.places to buy sushi ingredients The bluefin was caught off the coast of Japan’s northeastern Aomori prefecture, Kiyomura said.sushi los angeles beverly hills Japanese eat more fish per capita than any other developed country, consuming about 56.7 kilograms (128 pounds) annually, compared with a global average of 17.1 kilograms, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.buy sushi pop

The winning bid for tuna at the first auction of the year at Tsukiji averaged about 14.5 million yen over the past 10 years, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market website. Daily trading volume at Tsukiji averaged about 1.55 billion yen in 2011, according to Hiroshi Mochizuki, a spokesman for the market. Tsukiji, where visitors gather as early as 4 a.m. Tokyo time to observe competing buyers using hand signals to bid at tuna auctions, is listed among Japan’s most popular attractions by the Japan National Tourism Organization.buy sushi grade fish los angeles The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has delayed plans to relocate the facility to neighboring Koto Ward by a year as soil decontamination at the new site is taking longer than expected, the Nikkei newspaper reported Dec. 31, 2012.buy fish for sushi london

Tensions between Japan and China escalated last year after Japan nationalized a set of South China Sea islands claimed by both countries.Bonny Hou surpr Second order, took quite a while we receivIs Sushi Safe to Eat? A Chicago man sued a restaurant in 2008 for allegedly serving him a parasitic tapeworm along with his salmon. So what about the sushi or sashimi that hungry buyers pick up to go during the lunch hour rush?sushi delivery in north london Sushi lovers need not fret about the raw fish they consume, food scientists say, as long as the sushi has been prepared properly according to regulations by the Food and Drug Administration. where to get fish for sushi in londonPeople preparing sushi themselves need to take extra care with both the raw fish and the rice. Raw fish poses several potential hazards for consumers besides parasites.

Bacteria can develop in non-fresh fish and produce enzymes called histamines that may result in Scombroid poisoning. Certain tropical-water fish may also have a natural toxin called ciguatera which causes gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms. Sushi eaters don't typically have to worry because sushi restaurants take certain steps in handling and preparing their fish. A required step involves freezing fish at temperatures of -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius) for seven days, or frozen at -31 degrees Fahrenheit (-35 degrees Celsius) for 15 hours, which kills any parasites. "As far as sushi goes, the rules are in place because people were getting sick," said Keith Schneider, a microbiologist and food safety expert at the University of Florida. "The parasites are why we do the freezing on the raw fish." The cases of sushi-related illness fall far below the number of people sickened by contaminated produce such jalapeno peppers. Even in those rare cases, the rice in sushi is more often the culprit than the fish.

"I got sick eating sushi at a place I go to occasionally — a fast food place, not a restaurant — and I could swear I came out with bacillus cereus," Schneider told LiveScience. The bacillus cereus bacteria can spread rapidly in rice that sits at room temperature. Sushi rice requires an acidic bath in a vinegary solution that lowers the PH to 4.1, killing troublemaking microbes and making sushi safer for the everyday foodie. Don't walk on the wild side Many sushi lovers feast contentedly on albacore or eel, but a few people aim for a more dangerous culinary experience by eating the raw flesh of a poisonous puffer fish called fugu. Master fugu chefs sometimes include some of the poison in their prepared dish, which creates a tingly feeling on the lips when eaten. However, improperly prepared fugu can kill due to the fish's potent neurotoxin. "I consider it more of a dare than a delicacy," Schneider said. "There are people who kill themselves every year trying to make fugu, and it gives sushi a bad name."