Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a gentle, reflective novel set in a small Tokyo café that offers its customers a rare and peculiar opportunity: the chance to travel back in time. However, this journey comes with strict rules—the most important being that everything must be completed before the coffee gets cold.

Through four interconnected stories, the novel explores characters who wish to revisit moments from their past—not to change the present, which is impossible, but to find closure, understanding, or the courage to move forward. Each story centres on themes of love, regret, loss, forgiveness, and the passage of time, revealing how even brief moments can hold deep emotional significance.

Written in a simple yet evocative style, Kawaguchi’s novel blends magical realism with heartfelt human experiences. Rather than focusing on the mechanics of time travel, the story highlights emotional growth and the power of connection. Ultimately, Before the Coffee Gets Cold reminds readers that while the past cannot be changed, the way we face the present—and the future—always can.