[Players’ Table] Maharu YOSHIMURA: “Your body is built from what you eat — using food to support body and mind”

Profile ● Maharu YOSHIMURA
Born August 3, 1993, from Ibaraki Prefecture. 2012 All Japan champion, 2016 Rio Olympics team silver medalist, 2017 World Championships Mixed Doubles champion, 2025 World Championships Mixed Doubles runner-up

“I value the foods Japanese people have eaten since long ago”

The importance of food hit home through preventive medicine

My way of thinking about food has changed a lot over the past few years. When I was younger, to be honest, I didn’t pay that much attention to it. I ate what I liked, and there were times I went to yakiniku several times a week. I also drank sweet beverages like cola, and I had this feeling that as long as I trained hard enough, it would be fine.

But as I got close to 30, I started noticing changes in my body. After practice, fatigue wouldn’t go away as easily, and I would sometimes have pain in my lower back, neck, or knees. When you’re young, recovery is so good that it’s hard to notice, but as you get older, the things you do every day start showing up in your body.

About three years ago, as part of preventive medicine, I began receiving support from Takeshi Sakata, president of SamuraiF Co., Ltd., for food and body care. I also studied preventive medicine myself and earned a qualification. Through that process, the most important thing I came to feel was keeping my gut in good condition. No matter how healthy something is, if you can’t properly absorb it, it doesn’t mean much. So now I choose what I eat with the goal of building a solid foundation for my body.

For breakfast, I often eat fermented foods such as natto, miso soup, kimchi, and yogurt. A simple Japanese meal is the basis: rice topped with natto, pickles, or kimchi, plus fish and miso soup on the side. It’s not anything special; it’s the sense of valuing what Japanese people have eaten since long ago.