Macrobiotics: The Japanese Concept That Brings Balance To Your Diet

Macrobiotics is all about eating in balance. After discovering it in Japan, it has helped me lose 40 pounds while maintaining great energy and health. Here's a quick guide to all you need to know about Macrobiotics, including the best diners in Tokyo to try it out!

When I first moved to Tokyo, I was 40 pounds overweight and anxious to understand why Japanese women were so slim despite eating a wide variety of foods. In my quest to understand more about the Eastern way of thinking about diet, I came across a Japanese holistic healing diet called macrobiotics.

I found diagrams of foods and portions in books that looked exactly like how I had been eating since arriving in Japan, with explanations of how this method of eating was supposed to bring “balance” to the body. The diet seemed to suggest that our health was directly affected and guided by nature, and that eating and living in a way that harmonizes with nature would create balance and harmony within our bodies.

Huh. Interesting.

I had nothing to lose (except my butt), so I decided to give it a try. As a result, I discovered more emotional and physical fulfillment from this way of eating than anything I had ever come across before.

What Is Macrobiotics?

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Macrobiotics is a diet concept promoted to the world by Japanese author George Ohsawa. It involves eating a variety of whole foods that are energetically balanced between yin and yang. According to Eastern beliefs, everything in nature is made up of energy, described as having “yin” or “yang” characteristics in varying proportions.

For the seasons, hot weather is considered to be “yang,” and nature offers us “yin” foods like watermelon to help us cool off and stay hydrated. Cold weather is considered “yin,” and we are offered “yang” root vegetables to help us feel warm and grounded.

Yin Foods

Yin energy describes foods that grow upwards and outwards, like leafy greens, which grow in an upwards direction, and fruits, which grow on taller plants like trees. It also represents foods that make us feel uplifted, so it includes refined sugars and grains too. When eaten in balance, you’ll feel awake, alert, and light in your body. In excess, you’ll experience a high followed by a crash.

Yang Foods

Yang energy represents the opposite: foods that have centripetal energy that moves inwards and downwards. You can visually see this in foods like root vegetables, which grow down into the ground and become pointed towards the ends (i.e., carrots, daikon, etc.). Animal products are also considered yang as they are a concentration of the nutrition consumed by the animal. When you have foods with more yang properties, you feel warm and relaxed. In excess, you can easily feel lethargic.

By eating a meal with foods that are considered both yin and yang, you’re feeding your body a wide variety of nutrition while also supporting its needs during that season.

What Is In A Typical Macrobiotic Meal?

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Whole grains—brown rice in particular—are considered to be the most energetically balanced food item in macrobiotics, so they are considered to be the most essential starting point in a macrobiotic meal. In addition to brown rice, a typical macrobiotic meal consists of other moderately balanced foods such as:

• Leafy greens
• Round vegetables (like pumpkin, cabbage and onion that are literally round in shape)
• Root vegetables
• Beans
• Miso soup

The best way to think of a macrobiotic meal is to think of a whole-food Japanese teishoku—the meals consist of a little bit of everything to balance energetics, flavor, nutrition, season, and appearance.

Is the Macrobiotic Diet Vegetarian?

The macrobiotic diet isn’t strictly vegetarian, though many who follow it do choose to eat mostly plant-based. Animal products are generally considered harder to digest and are thought to place extra stress on the digestive system. The idea is that by minimizing this strain, your body can focus on restoring and maintaining digestive health.

That said, some macrobiotic practitioners do include small amounts of fish or seafood in their diet. Ultimately, the goal of macrobiotic eating is energetic balance—so when animal protein is consumed (a more “yang” food), it’s typically balanced with “yin” foods like vegetables.

Macrobiotics Ingredients & Where To Buy Them

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The most important ingredients you can start with in macrobiotics are brown rice, miso soup and seasonal vegetables. Technically, since macrobiotics are based on whole foods and a natural lifestyle, you can eat macrobiotics simply by buying organic produce. However, there is an ingredient found in macrobiotic cooking that is unique to the concept.

Tempeh

One of them is tempeh, a fermented bean block excellent for grilling. It has all of the nutritional benefits of natto but without the stinky, slimy consistency. Tempeh is really popular for beginners looking to try macrobiotics who are nervous about giving up animal products.

You can also try a variety of pastas made with non-wheat flour (brown rice flour, amaranth, kamut, etc.). These can be found at natural grocery stores such as Natural House and Bio C’Bon in Azabu Juban.

Restaurants To Try A Macrobiotic Meal in Tokyo

I definitely recommend trying out macrobiotics at a restaurant before you start experimenting at home so that you can get a complete experience. You really can’t go wrong with any of these restaurants. They offer really excellent quality macrobiotic-style meals that will leave you happy, satisfied and curious to try more.

Brown Rice

• Address: 5-1-8 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (Google Map Link)
• Hours: 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (Closed Tuesday)

Chaya Natural & Wild Table

• Address: Hibiya Chante B2F, 1−2−2 Yurakucho, Chiyoda City, Tokyo (Google Map Link)
• Hours: 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m.

Mominoki House

• Address: 2-18-5 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo (Google Map Link)
• Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5 p.m.-11 p.m.

Cooking Classes You Can Take in Tokyo

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If being on the consuming side alone is not enough for you, you can also try learning Macrobiotics more in-depth from experienced professionals. Here are a couple of classes that teach the concept to beginners.

Lima Macrobiotic Cooking School

Lima is a bigger cooking school and macrobiotics organization located in Ikejiri-Ohashi. I believe they only offer classes in Japanese; however, their classes are also extensive if you’re looking to learn in depth.

Macrobiotics School Japan

This learning center, based in Nara, offers online courses, Zoom workshops and in-person intensives about macrobiotic cooking and lifestyle. Run by English-speaking chef Patricio Garcia de Paredes, the school covers everything from foundational macrobiotic principles to advanced cooking techniques.

You have an amazing opportunity to live in Japan, where you can not only learn more about your health from a holistic standpoint but also develop a deeper relationship with your body and nature. With that in mind, I recommend you give different things a try so that you, too, can reap the benefits I’ve enjoyed during my time here. In time, you’ll feel the difference yourself!

This article has been republished for 2025.

Comments

Cyndie says:

October 1, 2025 at 10:00 am

Very nice article!
I’ve done regimen no. 7 like every month un until june this year. I’ve stopped but I can say that my body started to crave the grains I use in the no 7 regimen. One pot of rice stopped my hemorrhoidal bleeding like a few weeks ago.