Before the Coffee Gets Cold

The bestselling novel ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold’ is a heart-wrenching yet lighthearted novel focusing on a cafe in Japan. Written by Toshikazu Kawaguchi、 the book was originally published under the title of ‘コーヒーが冷めないうちに’ meaning ‘While the coffee is warm’. It was eventually changed to ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold’ after translation.

To begin, this 272-page novel explores the little cafe in Tokyo that serves as a time-traveling machine. Throughout the whole book, the readers are introduced to many earnest and captivating characters along with the enforced rules necessary to travel back in time.

Hanover Square Press published Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s masterpiece in December 2015 – not as a novel – as a script. This award-winning play was a foundation for one of the best-selling book series in Japanese history, having sold over a million copies. Nonetheless, the books were written in Kanji, yet, it was not long before the sales skyrocketed and the acclaimed praises of the book caught the attention of Geoffrey Trousselot. ‘Before the Coffee Goes Cold’ was then translated into the English alphabet, courtesy of him. His translation allowed others to read Kawguchi’s story in 2019. From then on the books reached many places and traveled the world.

Before the Coffee Goes Cold etched the setting of a little cafe in the hidden alleyway of Tokyo. The dim, sepia-hued Cafe Funiculi Funicula was a coffee shop brewing drinks for many years. It had three clocks that all simultaneously ticked and yet, none were displaying the same time as the other. Throughout the cafe, there are no windows or any connection to the outside views making it nearly impossible to tell the time. Time is then implicitly suggested to be an important aspect of the stories.

The story additionally sheds light on a character named Kazu Tokita, playing the role of the waiter at the cafe. She is the one who places the coffee into the cup that, once poured, transports one to a time in their past, well according to the so-called urban legends at least. Despite such anticipation, going back in time isn’t as easy as snapping through time in itself, there are regulations that the customers ought to follow.

These rules are not easy to obey and people end up giving up due to how immensely strict they are. For example, there is no way to change the present no matter what you did in the past and you have to finish the coffee before it goes cold. Throughout the chapters, Toshikazu Kawaguchi introduces the rules one by one and presents new characters through four different sections. He moreover adds a mind map of character relations for further reference and the creation of theories. Overall, the story depicts the lessons of hope, love, and loss: hope to meet them once again, love to feel affection towards them one last time, and the loss of waking up to reality knowing that there is nothing you can do to change the present. The characters we meet throughout the journey experience loss, agonizing them when they desperately seek for ways to relive their memories with their loved ones just one more time.

With the high levels of book sales, it is not a surprise that people ought to share their opinions on this novel. The genres of fiction, fantasy, and contemporary styles not to mention the magic realism that the book may perceive may not be for everyone and while some choose to immerse themselves in the pages, others provide critical comments on its content. Nevertheless, the scores range from 3.7 stars on good reads to a 4.1-star average on Amazon. People reason it to be a simple, merry, lighthearted easy read that suits any peaceful ambiance.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is an international best-selling book that suits everyone from the tiniest of primary students to the oldest of folks. The book touches hearts and makes you appreciate the little things we take for granted, be it a loved one, a sibling, or a friend. Beloved by many, the praises and the compliments to the story provoked the writing of a second book. The sequel to the series was titled “Tales from the Cafe” and it was released in 2015. It was then followed by a third and fourth installments titled “Before Our Memory Fades” and “Before We Say Goodbye” released in 2021-2022. They were all translated months after their release by Geoffrey Trousselot. Furthermore, Before the Coffee Gets Cold inspired a film created under the hands of Ayuko Tsukahara in 2018. Titled “Cafe Funiculi Funicula”, it takes its story’s basis from Toshikazu Kawaguchi's novel. With minor changes, it includes more or less the same plots and characters.

All things considered, the novel “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” is a book with each word painting a picture of the stories in the petite coffee shop down the alley. It is a quick read that captures the audience in its grasp and keeps you on the edge of your seat as you play the story in your head. The story captures your attention and doesn’t let it go until the very last word.