Author and 'MasterChef SA' judge Zola Nene has been having the time of her life in Japan.
Image: Instagram/ Zola Nene
Zola Nene, a judge on "MasterChef South Africa", makes no secret of her passion for both local and international travel. Her social media activity clearly reflects this love of exploring.
Several days ago, she packed her bags and headed to a bucket list destination, where she was planning to celebrate her birthday on March 7.
In her first travel vlog, titled “Birthday Trip Loading”, she wrote: “Can you guess my destination country?…
“Clue 1: My destination country is an Island Nation.
“Clue 2: This country has the most polite people in the world.
“Clue 3: The Capital City has the most Michelin Stars in the world.
“Clue 4: This country is the birthplace of Wagyu Beef.
“Put your guesses in the comments 😊.”
Twenty-three hours later, all was revealed in her next post.
She revealed: “Most of you guessed my destination country correctly 👏🏾 I’m officially in Japan after around 23 hours of travel! Tokyo is my first official stop… I can’t wait to share all the adventures I’ll be getting up to for my Japan birthday trip! 💃🏽”
And she’s been taking travellers on a cultural and culinary journey since.
“Went on an eating spree at the famous Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo today, and I have zero regrets! The Wagyu & mochi were my top eats of the day, so good! 🫰🏽,” she posted.
Next came a street tour.
The bubbly chef and cookbook author shared: “One of the world’s busiest intersections… thousands of people crossing in different directions every time the light goes green!
"The kind of organised chaos I had no idea I’d get a thrill out of, but my cheesy grin says it all 😃 - Tokyo, you are magic ✨.”
When she said she was exploring, she was not kidding. She also took a super-fast bullet train to Kyoto, where she found herself in the kitchen.
She posted: “WAGASHI LESSON 🍡Learnt a new skill today and I loved every minute… let me introduce you to the art of Japanese sweet-making! What a treat! (pun intended) 😄.”
Of course, she couldn’t resist spoiling herself with a traditional keepsake - a custom Japanese knife.
Nene proudly shared: “Possibly the BEST birthday gift I have ever given myself… a custom Japanese knife, that I hand-made in Kyoto! 🤗 This was worth all the hard labour for sure, she is an absolute beaut! 😍 Happy birthday to me 🎶.”
In case you are curious about her birthday dinner, it was extra special.
“What’s an 'omakase' I hear you ask… It’s a Japanese fine dining tasting menu - the chefs make the dishes in front of you and serve them straight to you across the counter to enjoy. I ate (and saw) fish I had never even heard of before; I tried uni for the first time; tasted a prize-winning melon; saw a chef slice with multiple swords; I gasped numerous times during his theatrical meal, and it was simply wonderful!
"Birthday celebration meal on a whole other level 🙌🏾,” she shared.
She also sampled the viral matcha tiramisu while in Kyoto.
She immersed herself in the local culture, savouring a traditional Japanese dinner where she was taught the distinction between a maiko and a geiko.
Nene strikes me as the perfect choice to host a dedicated food and travel series. In the meantime, her excellent travel vlogs offer a great way to keep up with her journeys.
I’m sure Nene would agree with this trip being one for the books!