Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a heartwarming and thought-provoking Japanese novel that explores love, regret, and the human desire to revisit the past. Set in a small Tokyo café called Funiculi Funicula, there’s a legend that one can travel back in time — but only under strict rules, and only for as long as it takes for a cup of coffee to get cold.

Through four interconnected stories, visitors come to the café hoping to see someone one last time: a lover, a sister, a husband, a daughter. Each journey is filled with tenderness, longing, and the bittersweet realization that while the past cannot be changed, people can find the strength to move forward.

Kawaguchi’s simple yet emotional storytelling invites readers to reflect on the moments that truly matter and the love that endures across time.