Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Synopsis

The million-copy bestselling series about a small Japanese cafe that offers its visitors the chance to travel back in time.

Toshikazu Kawaguchi's moving Before the Coffee Gets Cold, translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot, explores the age-old question: what would you do if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the cafe's time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by Alzheimer's, see their sister one last time, and meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the cafe, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .

Continue the beautiful storytelling with Tales from the Cafe, Before Your Memory Fades, and Before We Say Goodbye.

Summary

Chapter 1: The Time Traveler's Café

* At Café Funiculi Funicula, a peculiar legend exists: If you sit in the corner seat by the window, you can travel back in time – but only when the clock strikes midnight.
* Example: Sarah, a struggling writer, discovers the café and contemplates using the time travel to fix her mistakes.

Chapter 2: First Cup: Late for a Date

* Keisuke learns that the time travel doesn't change the past but rather creates parallel timelines.
* Example: Fukuhara, a businessman, travels back to his first date with his wife to make a better impression. However, he realizes that changing the details does not change his wife's feelings.

Chapter 3: Second Cup: Lost and Found

* The café is not just a place for time travel but also for finding lost memories and connections.
* Example: Yoshino travels back to visit her deceased sister, seeking closure. She discovers that her sister has always been watching over her and that she left a special message for her.

Chapter 4: Third Cup: To See You Again

* A customer, Toshiyuki, uses the time travel to try to save his comatose wife, Akiko.
* Example: Toshiyuki returns to the day of Akiko's accident and tries to prevent it. However, he learns that destiny cannot be completely controlled, and he must accept the pain of loss.

Chapter 5: Fourth Cup: The Journey

* The café owner, Kazu, reveals his own journey through time and the sacrifices he made to keep the café open.
* Example: Kazu shares the story of his love for a woman named Fumiko, whom he watched grow old over multiple time resets. He understands the bittersweet nature of time travel and the importance of living in the present.

Chapter 6: Fifth Cup: Funiculi Funicula

* The customers gather at the café for a final time travel experience.
* Example: Sarah, Keisuke, Fukuhara, Yoshino, and Toshiyuki each have a final chance to use the time travel to address regrets or seek closure. They learn that time is precious and that true happiness lies in embracing the present and the people they love.

Chapter 7: After the Coffee Gets Cold

* The café closes its doors forever, and the time travel legend becomes a distant memory.
* Conclusion: The book reflects on the nature of time, loss, and the importance of living life to the fullest. It suggests that while we cannot change the past, we can make the most of the present and find meaning and connection in our relationships.