If you could go back in time, who would you meet?
In 2015, the Japanese writer and novelist Toshikazu Kawaguchi gave the world a quiet, whimsical novel that would attract the interest of a global audience. The novel, entitled Before the Coffee Gets Cold, swiftly gained traction in the literary world and introduced English-speaking readers to Kawaguchi’s world—one that blurs the line between emotional realism and time travel.
Every book in the series follows a similar structure. The setting? An inconspicuous café in Tokyo that allows time travel. The characters? The never-changing workers of said café and a set of four strangers who come in to see their loved ones.
At the heart of the story is a very specific and peculiar set of rules. The customers who are hoping to revisit the past must be seated in a specific seat and remain there throughout their entire visit to the past. The person that they wish to see must have visited the café at least once in their lifetime. However, the customers have a limited amount of time—just until their cup of coffee gets cold, otherwise there are dire consequences. The owners of the café leave out the rule that for so many is a deal-breaker until the end—nothing the customer says or does during their visit will change the present that they live in. Those who accept and go through with time travelling are driven by love, grief, and longing—for them, a conversation might be the key to finding closure and the ability to move on in their lives.
Moments that steep in the heart
As of April 2025, the author has written six books, of which five have been translated into English by Geoffrey Trousselot; the sixth one is currently awaiting translation.
The series is special in its representation of emotions. Each book orbits around a central emotional feeling that seems to shape the four stories. The first book explores four different representations of longing. The second book, Tales from the Café, deals with another set of characters who have to overcome fatal tragedies in their lives. The third installment, Before Your Memory Fades, deepens the portrayal of a journey facing hard truths—to forget or be forgotten. The fourth novel, Before We Say Goodbye, is a lesson in four parts about letting someone go, and how that sometimes can be a greater sign of love than anything else. Before We Forget Kindness, the fifth book in the series, centres around compassion while dealing with very hard emotions. How many times does one choose anger over forgiveness? Why is it freeing to choose to be kind? These are some of the questions that the stories written in this novel bring to the surface.
The Japanese title of the sixth book, which is not yet translated into English, suggests that the stories of the four characters will be centered around love. This theme is already of great interest for the enjoyers of the series worldwide, and what sets apart Kawaguchi’s writing is his power to draw not only ink, but also emotion from his pen. The tiny Tokyo café called Funiculi Funicula is the place where tens of life stories are changed, including the life of the one holding the book. Toshikazu Kawaguchi invites the reader to sit among the characters in the café, to sympathise with the human nature of the hardships endured, and to heal their souls. Readers are already showing their eagerness to read this title on the book’s Goodreads page.
The remaining question is… Who would you search for in the past, if you had only one coffee’s time?
Words by Ecaterina Vasiloi
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.