Oct 06
BAKING SODA hahahaha
And now, a story about buying baking soda in Japan, recorded in detail,
1) for the benefit of others who might need to do this, and
2) in the hope that someone will someday explain to me why the vocabulary necessary to buy baking soda in Japan makes no damn sense.
For lo, though I have achieved my goal of buying a box of frigging baking soda, I am linguistically even more bewildered than I was when I first initiated the project.
Today, feeling for the first time mostly recovered from my jet lag, injured back, and hurt feet (self-inflicted wounds assisted by Tuesday and some hilariously perforated insoles), I went out in search of baking soda again, this time determined not to give up. I have been in at least one grocery store every day since I got here, but always ended up just getting whatever more immediately necessary thing I’d gone in for, and then, after a few minutes of vain searching for the baking soda, leaving in exhaustion.
So this morning, I consulted the internet, and went out armed with some notes on the identification of baking soda in Japanese stores. “Baking soda” can be either “juusou” (重曹) or “tansan” (タンサン), with the term “juusou” apparently (going by the respective Google image search results) being used more for baking soda that’s sold as a cleaning product, and “tansan” being used for baking soda being sold to cook with.
(Though the kanji for “tansan” is apparently 炭酸, which my dictionary defines as “carbonic acid,” and which, indeed, appears to be an ingredient in all those lovely beverages in which one expects to find carbonic acid. Unless I have been grievously deceived by my middle school science classes, baking soda is a base, and is definitely not carbonic acid, so apparently there’s a problem here. But, then again, judging by those Google image search results, “tansan”-as-baking-soda is always rendered in katakana, so maybe that carries some kind of obscure change in meaning with it. I don’t know the etymology, all right? I’m just looking for some baking soda for my filthy pagan rituals.)
I wrote all this down very carefully in my little notebook. Thus familiarized with the whole concept, I set out, prepared.
After examining every single non-refrigerator aisle in the store, I gave up and asked an employee.
I had to show her my written notes before she understood what I was looking for (I’m not sure whether this was my pronunciation, or whether the words just aren’t used much), and then she said, “baking powder?,” looked about wildly, and ran to ask someone else. Suspecting that baking soda would probably be in the same place as baking powder – even if this wasn’t just another exciting new name for the substance – I just followed them. The chain of consultation acquired a third link when a man who had been shelving in the appropriate aisle, hearing the exclamation of “baking powder” several aisles over, carefully removed a box from the bottom shelf it had been on and set it prominently on a higher shelf.
This is what my baking soda looks like:
“Home made CAKE” consists of two little packets, each containing maybe a tablespoon-and-a-half of baking soda. I could probably complain about this, except that it was 68 yen, which is not exactly exhorbitant.
The kanji on the front says “juusou.” The furigana, however, says “tansan.” So does the receipt.
So, except that I am definitely not supposed to call it “baking soda,” I still have no idea how to say “baking soda” in Japanese.
January 14th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
[...] baking soda japan / baking soda in japan / buying baking soda in japan / japanese baking soda / baking soda tansan [...]
April 19th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
YOOOOOOOW….
thx…
really helpful! (^_^)
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April 20th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Glad to be of service!
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June 5th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
just went through something very similar, but all I did before leaving the house was try to copy down the kanji from the google translator page for “baking soda.” that was dumb. and I was too shy to show my scribblings to the people in the supermarket. somehow I think I found the right stuff– but your entry has pretty much confirmed that yes, the packets of stuff in the pink box with the muffins on it is probably, in fact, baking soda.
the baking powder was much easier to find :)
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June 7th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Glad to have helped. My experience since then is that typical American dessert-making things, like baking soda, baking powder, chocolate chips, and icing are usually all together in a little bitty Cake Section, in tiny plastic bags suitable for making about one food thing each.
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February 4th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Hey thanks a bunch for posting this. I’m about to embark on a great adventure in search of the stuff, and this will be extremely helpful. Got to remove some super super super nasty smoke smells from some used furniture I picked up!
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March 29th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
I’m glad to have helped! (Replying very late because WordPress has evidently been grumpy about comment notifications.)
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March 29th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
You have been a great help to the world with this solid direction. Yes, I found it in the cake section, next to a bag of nuts, gelatin and coconut flakes. Works wonders when you don’t know how to find Alka Seltzer.
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March 29th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
I fully expect to receive a Nobel Prize!
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April 13th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
you saved me some trouble/time. thanks a lot, dude! =D
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April 13th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Glad to have helped!
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May 3rd, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I have had this EXACT EXPERIENCE. I ended up buying tansan the first time, but it doesn’t look at all like the baking soda I’m used to–I’m used to baking soda being much more of a powder than a granular, sugar-like crystal. I want baking soda so I can wash my hair, and I ended up buying the cleaning baking soda (the juusou) and I can’t help but wonder what makes it different, and whether or not it’s safe. Argh, why so difficult?
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December 2nd, 2009 at 9:11 am
Thank you for sharing. I am having this experience now, trying to explain it to a Japanese spouse. Fun times, I can assure you.
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December 18th, 2009 at 12:53 am
Thank you! I was desperately searching the grocery store and had the sense to do a google search. You saved my oatmeal choc chip cookies!!
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February 16th, 2010 at 2:43 am
Thanks a million! I’ve totally seen that box at my grocery store but have been wondering what’s in it. Baking soda problem solved!
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March 4th, 2010 at 8:19 am
i m about to get a pack of baking soda myself, too. I realise I didnt know how ppl call it here in japan, so i searched the net until i read your blog. What a day you had xD
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August 3rd, 2010 at 1:39 am
Ha ha thanks Im actually off to the supermarket now you have saved me a lot of embarassment and heartache!
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June 26th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
I consult my Japanese wife on this. She confirmed that Juusou is the best term. However, there is Juusou for cleaning and Juusou for eating/baking. Juusou for cleaning is somehow dangerous to eat, and thus should not be consumed. Don’t know why.. perhaps it is too concentrated?
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December 22nd, 2011 at 9:14 am
Why not just buy baking powder?
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January 18th, 2012 at 5:00 am
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