Before the Coffee Gets Cold / Tales from the Café / Before Your Memory Fades

コーヒーが冷めないうちに #1-3

by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

What would you do if you could travel back in time? Discover the internationally bestselling novels of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, now a worldwide phenomenon and BookTok sensation, in this special new box set. Step inside Tokyo’s whimsical Café Funiculi Funicula and travel back in time with a cast of unforgettable characters,

For new and longtime fans alike, this boxed set is the perfect collection of heartwarming, uplifting tales that remind us we “don’t have to live burdened by regret” ( New York Times ). Translated from Japanese in the signature prose of Geoffrey Trousselot, each installment of this series brings new adventure that has captivated millions of readers around the world.
 

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Audiobook, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Cozy, Time Travel

591 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Toshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from a 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize.

Reviews

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

TITLE: Before We Say Goodbye (Book 4)
AUTHOR: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
PUB DATE: 11.14.2023 Now Available

In the first book, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we are introduced to a cafe in the back alleys of Tokyo where more than coffee is served but also a chance to travel back in time.

In Book 2, Tales From the Cafe, we get a glimpse of café Funiculi Funicula's time-traveling offer and revisit moments with family, friends and lovers.

Book 3 takes us to northern Japan in Cafe Donna Donna where we meet old and new friends that travel through time to move forward in their grief and loss.

Before We Say Goodbye is the final book in the series and fans of Toshikazu Kawaguchi will have a hard time saying goodbye. All good things must come to an end, and these stories will always stay as we reminisce those who have passed and remember whom we have lost and could not let go. Incredible story telling. I highly recommend.

[Melanie Handley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK. I don't regret reading it, but I think that reading all 3 books back to back might have been the issue for me. The stories are all very sad but show humanity through the sadness. There is some closure for the people traveling back to the past, which kept me wanting to see their journeys through to the end. It did make me feel more grateful for the life that I have and the good people that love me.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“But Kazu still goes on believing that, no matter what difficulties people face, they will always have the strength to overcome them. It just takes heart. And if the chair can change someone’s heart, it clearly has its purpose.”

Nagare Tokita owns a cafe where customers can travel back in time to meet a person they have met there in the past. The rules are; you must leave before the coffee goes cold, you cannot leave the chair and you can not do anything that may change the past.

We hear about four couples; best friends, Mother and son, The lovers and The Married Couple who all avail of this time travelling offer.

I have read Before the Coffee Gets Cold by this author and my feelings are still the same regarding this one. I was not a huge fan of the writing style or some of the trivial conversations in between someone sitting in the chair.

Also, I felt there were too many characters whose names began with ‘K’ I had to keep going back to the relationship map of characters at the front of the book to see who everyone was again.

I did enjoy the four stories of the couples and found them quite heartbreaking. One such story was where a man was supposed to meet his wife in the cafe after work for her birthday but he got held up and never showed up. The wife left truly annoyed and upset. On her way home she gets attacked by a mugger and dies. The man goes back thirty years to meet her on that day & give her the beautiful necklace he bought her.

I do love the cover of these books and they are not too long at 200 pages.

[Rissa (rissasreading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3 - I'm happy that I got the boxed set of the first three entries in this series for Christmas as I was interested in this story. Unfortunately as the books progressed I found myself becoming less and less interested in them and I didn't really care about the main characters we follow either. The first novel definitely packs the most emotional punch, and I do think these are worthwhile to read but they weren't what I wanted.

[Pat Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took me a while to get back into these books, since I was originally frustrated by the repetition of information about the rules of time traveling in each story to the point that I was bored. When I reframed the stories as sequels published individually over time, I was able to overlook this aspect, and was more able to concentrate more on the stories themselves which were very sweet. I also was more able to appreciate the details about Japanese culture and attitudes.

[Tara Cignarella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before the Coffee Gets Cold / Tales from the Café / Before Your Memory Fades
Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Geoffrey Trousselot (Translator)
Writing: C
Story: B-
Characters: B-
Setting: B-
Best Aspect: Loved the beginning and the concept.
Worst Aspect: Lost in translation, I just did not connect with the story in an emotional way.
Recommend: Maybe

[Michael Enright · Rating 5 out of 5]

ever increasing understanding achieves delight

It is beautifully constructed revealing ever more slight truths in re the nature of delight. It is mesmerizing in its repetition and fine revelations of secrets we all know / knew / forgot or never suspected. It contains truths about your lives; and theirs too that you can only behold in reconciliations.

[Hanan Al Mahmoud · Rating 3 out of 5]

Familiar. The setting and narrative. Picked for the guaranteed calmness of such a light japanese read.

[Kaoutar Lazrak · Rating 5 out of 5]

L'incroyable imagination des japonais ne cessera de m'impressionner. 4 belles histoires et une belle leçon de vie.
Je recommande !

[Edith Rubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

These Books Can Give You Peace

If you love philosophical thinking about life and death and everything in between, you will love this series. Also, if you find time travel intriguing, I encourage you to read this beautifully written collection of stories that brings to life characters and emotions that will stay with you and help you look at life and even death more positively.

[Laetitia Devic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mon seul regret est de ne pas avoir écrit les noms de tous les personnages au fur et à mesure - ça aurait rendu ma lecture plus facile et encore plus agréable! Donc voici mon tuyau, pour ce livre comme pour Le café du temps retrouvé: gardez une feuille de papier et un stylo près de vous et écrivez tous les noms des personnages!

[Kiwi Carlisle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to give up on this one. I suspect a bad translation is to fault for the clumsy dialogue and phrasing. I also found the characters wearisome after just fifty pages or so.

[saiii · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold trilogy offers a delicate yet profound meditation on the intricate threads of human relationships. Set in a small, almost mythical café where time travel is possible, the books are less about the mechanics of time and more about the emotional landscapes of those who dare to revisit the past.

What makes the trilogy stand out is its simplicity—each story feels like an unspoken ache brought to life. The characters aren’t extraordinary, yet their struggles with love, loss, and longing resonate universally. Kawaguchi doesn’t romanticize the idea of altering the past; instead, he grounds it in reality, reminding us that even if we revisit a moment, the present remains unchanged. What does change, however, is our perspective—and sometimes, that’s enough.

The café itself feels alive, a quiet witness to countless stories, carrying an atmosphere of bittersweet nostalgia. The recurring rules and limitations of the time travel ritual might seem repetitive, but they serve as a poignant metaphor: our lives, like the café's constraints, are defined by boundaries. And yet, within those boundaries, immense beauty and growth are possible.

While some might find the trilogy’s episodic structure predictable, the strength lies in its emotional depth. Each tale invites readers to reflect on their own lives—on the words unsaid, the moments missed, and the power of small gestures.

Ultimately, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is less about time travel and more about the timeless truths of being human. It’s a quiet, introspective journey that lingers long after the last page, like the comforting aroma of a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

[Sadie Mckenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But kazu still goes on to believe that no matter what difficulties people face, they will always have the strength to overcome them, it just takes heart, and if the chair can change people’s heart, then it has a purpose”

I found this fiction novel when the coffee goes cold to be a slightly emotional read. Some of the stories it followed through the characters where heart breaking, but for the book itself I would say it was well written, forming the book into 4 parts and keeping the characters well linked.. I think the rules around the time travelling made the book more interesting but it would have been good to have gone into depth about these rules a little more . I was always intrigued in the “ghost” who always sat in the time travelrs chair. I’m not sure if I was just missing the point but I never got the full picture of what happens to her why she has to stay in that chair and constantly drink coffee? The book is short, 200 pages and I think it would have put more depth into the book if the writer had wrote more around the characters in the book and these rules.

Overall I would say it was a good book, I enjoyed it. I found it rather sad especially in the end although it was still very heartwarming knowing the story’s of the caffès regulars. The book leaves you with questions like if you could travel in the past what would u want to do

[Gray Mouser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might have enjoyed this more if I had not bought the omnibus of the first three novels!

The stories, their comfort and the slow pace were very attractive for the first two or three of the short stories. But then you just could not fail to notice the repetitions. It was essentially the same story over and over again, four stories per book, three books per omnibus, and instead of comforting, they started to be contrived and naive.

- Heartbroken over death of xxx
- Travels to the past/future
- Realizing that the dead person wants you to be happy
- Everything's resolved, personal crisis/suicide averted, smiles all around
- Rinse and repeat

In the third book the setting moved to another (identical) café in a different city, mostly because all the first cafés regulars already did their time travel thing. Add to this that the narrative style did not bring me any closer to the main characters personalities, which remained relatively flat even after three books.

And what is this absolute obsession with marriage?

Not going to buy another and if you are interested in the series, do not go for the omnibus right away!

[Elisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nonostante le belle premesse questo libro mi ha delusa profondamente.

Si tratta di un caffè dov’è possibile tornare indietro nel tempo o avanzare nel futuro, sedendosi su apposita sedia, con la regola di poter permanere nel passato o nel futuro solo finché il caffè rimane caldo.
Alcuni dei temi che vengono presi in considerazione sono significativi, come il lutto, la maternità, l’amicizia e l’amore, ma vengono tutti affrontati in maniera alquanto superficiale. Si passa da una storia all’altra soffermandosi poco su cosa pensano e provano i personaggi.
Imparare, poi, i nomi dei personaggi è risultato abbastanza difficoltoso, visto che si tratta di nomi stranieri tutti molto simili l’uno all’altro e questo mi ha reso difficile apprezzare la narrazione, essendo sempre intenta a dover capire chi stesse agendo e facendo confusione alcune volte.
I personaggi non mi sono piaciuti affatto. Tranne Kei e Kazu, gli altri mi sono sembrati molto piatti e a tratti snervanti.
Non si salva nemmeno lo stile del testo, anch’esso estremamente lineare e incolore.

[Saurav Kumar · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book asks an interesting question 'If you could go back, who would you want to meet?' and that's the only good thing about it. In terms of an actual story, we have no story. It's bland and doesn't go anywhere. Characters lost depth throughout the book. Everyone is the same good old samaritan with nothing else to their character.

One of the central rules of the book, the fact that the Present can't change is not completely true. People time travel, to get more information, which changes their present reality. Kei, Mrs. Fusagi, and Fumiko(to name a few) became positively happy after traveling to the past.

The story has only one motif i.e staying happy for the people who have died, which drags for 12 chapters. A reduction in the number of chapters would have substantially improved the book.

[Aditya Bisht · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold' by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and let me tell you, it turned into a chunk of a combined bag for me. The complete concept of time travel in a relaxed Tokyo café is quite fascinating. I suggest, who would not want a risk to revisit the beyond and type out a few unresolved stuff, proper?

On the fine facet, I simply cherished the captivating café putting. It's this quaint place that is component magical and component down-to-earth, growing this comfortable atmosphere that attracts you in. The tales of humans coping with their pasts and emotions are touching and make you mirror in your own existence.

But, and right here's where it receives a bit complicated, the storytelling is all over the vicinity. The book is a collection of interconnected quick memories, and whilst it really is cool, it left me looking a extra cohesive plot. I like an amazing narrative go with the flow, ? The pacing is sluggish and deliberate, which might not be anyone's cup of tea. Some memories felt a chunk underdeveloped, and I wanted for extra intensity, particularly with a number of the secondary characters.

Also, brace yourself for a no longer-so-linear plot. It's all about time being fluid, but for some readers (like me), the shape would possibly come off as a bit disjointed. And the resolutions of certain man or woman arcs? Well, permit's just say they weren't all similarly satisfying.

All in all, it's a unique study that blends magic with the ordinary, and it definitely got me questioning. I'd deliver it a 3 out of five. Not terrible not mind-blowing, but really worth a visit to that strange little café.

[Liz Samani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta es una relectura que en la primera vez que lo leí no me dejó demasiado pero fue agradable. En esta relectura noto más lo emocional que es este libro donde en cada una de las historias va siendo más profundo y nos trata de dar una enseñanza. El primer relato me deja la enseñanza de saber escuchar de no solo enfocarnos que las cosas no son como deseamos y el coraje y las suposiciones que esto nos puede producir. El segundo me habla de amor de ese amor tan incondicional que pone al otro por encima de sí mismo. El tercero me pone a pensar en la impulsividad en cuantas veces tomamos decisiones donde pensar en la otra persona y en cuanto impacta en sus vidas cuando nuestras decisiones también deciden por otros. Pero el último es el mejor simplemente el relato de madre e hija es conmovedor y muy personal el más bonito de todos

[Amy Kester-Niehaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet stories

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a poignant tale set in a small Tokyo café where one special seat allows customers to travel back in time—but only under strict conditions. The present cannot be changed, the visit lasts only until the coffee grows cold, and failure to return in time turns the traveler into a ghost. Despite these seemingly discouraging rules, several people choose to go back: a woman longs to see her sister one last time, a mother who died in childbirth wishes to meet the daughter she never knew, and a woman yearns to reconnect with her lost lover. These quietly moving stories, steeped in Japanese culture and emotion, are both touching and thought-provoking. I thoroughly enjoyed them.

[l’amoureuse en rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

je n’avais pas beaucoup d’attentes en commençant ce livre mais je m’attendais quand même à quelque chose de plus marquant, de grandiose.

c’est plutôt un livre calme à lire avec un petit café (petit clin d’œil haha). je pense qu’au vu des divers avis sur ce livre je pensais qu’il y avait un gros plot twist, un retournement de situation, une grosse prise de conscience mais pas du tout.

il m’a fallu quelques pages avant d’intégrer et de reconnaître les personnages étant donné qu’il n’y a pas beaucoup de descriptions par rapport à ces derniers, que ça soit sur critère physique, sur leur personnalité, leurs habitudes quotidiennes ou même leurs passions! ce qui est dommage…

l’histoire était bien pensé mais je m’attendais à un peu plus

[Pavitra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series including the most recent edition (Before we say goodbye) are all incredibly dear to me. I first picked up the books on a holiday and couldn’t put them down, the two cafes have become a part of me now. Each story and character is written deliberately and beautifully, all thought and feeling evoking. Allowing anyone the ability to empathise with the customers. Even the idea of a time travelling cafe is beautiful and i’m certain everyone has their own image of the cafe in their mind, and that’s something i think about often. Each story will lighten your heart or maybe even break it but every word is worth while.

[Ninya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book #1 - Awesome; Book #2-#3 - Redundant and repetitive

“Water flows from high places to low places. That is the nature of gravity. Emotions also seem to act according to gravity. When in the presence of someone with whom you have a bond, and to whom you have entrusted your feelings, it is hard to lie and get away with it. The truth just wants to come flowing out. This is especially the case when you are trying to hide your sadness or vulnerability. It is much easier to conceal sadness from a stranger, or from someone you don’t trust.”

[val · Rating 4 out of 5]

يقع مقهى دونا دونا على سفح تل هاكوداته في شمال اليابان وهو مشهور بإطلالاته الرائعه على ميناء هاكوداته.لكن هذا ليس كل ما يشتهر به ،فهو مثل مقهى طوكيو الساحر فونيكولي فونيكولا، يقدم لزبائنه تجربة غير عادية للسفر عبر الزمن

يسرد الكتاب قصص اربعة زبائن جدد يأمل كل منهم الاستفادة من عرض السفر عبر الزمن
•فتاة تلقي باللوم على والديها الميتين لانهما تركناها تعاني من اليتم
•كوميدي يتألم لخسارته زوجته و احلامها المشتركه
•شقيقة استولى عليها الحزن على قلبها لخسارتها شقيقتها
•شاب يدرك انه يحب صديقة طفولته بعد فوات الاوان

[leuwizey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been wanting to buy the physical trilogy for a while, but I'm glad I didn't. I found the first book a bit underwhelming. It's not that it was bad, but most of the stories felt a bit too simple, only to end with a sad twist. The writing also felt kind of cold and distant, and I can't quite figure out why. While I did find the Japanese background and culture interesting, I don't think this genre really resonates with me. I ended up putting the book down halfway, though maybe one day I'll get around to finishing it.

[evelyn rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wholesome nature of Kawaguchi’s storytelling was inspiring and heartbreaking. I loved the emotional developement in each character which did not die down even in change of setting or characters. The first book was best in my opinion as it was a fresh introduction to the beautiful concept however the ending of the last book was heartbreaking and wholesome in one. I just love the bittersweet plots throughout.

[Heidi Matsumoto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique concept

Loved this series. The ideas are well thought out and stories are woven together through the main characters of the cafe.
The language is a little off. I found the choice of vocabulary was sometimes slightly unusual; some of the phrases were not quite right, like a dictionary had been used and the translation not quite the same. This was the only distraction for me in an otherwise delightful read.

[Marzieh Jazaeri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of going back in time without changing the present sounded interesting to me, but after reading the first book, there wasn’t much to offer. I couldn’t feel enough depth to the characters, and it made it harder to continue. I wanted a closure for them, so I kept going, but the whole pace of the story was too slow for me.
If I could go back in time, I’d choose to only read the first book and move on.

[Noor Fatin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me realise that you have to cherish every moments in yr life and being mindful for every of yr actions. It takes a very short time to break a long standing relationship, thus being a forgiver and move on is the best choice. I know thats hard, but idk relationships treasurers more. InsyaAllah.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not recommend listening to this book as an audiobook. Many complex Japanese names are mentioned repeatedly and are difficult to keep straight for this American listener, distracting from the stories. I think it would be easier if you could see the spelling of the names or if the translation switched the names to be simpler. I did not like the male narrator.