{"title":"Before the Coffee Gets Cold","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"before-the-coffee-gets-cold-series-4-books-collection-set-fiction-paperback","title":"Before The Coffee Gets Cold Series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi 4 Books Collection Set - Fiction - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitles in This Set\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003cbr\u003e\nTales from the Cafe\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore Your Memory Fades\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore We Say Goodbye\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nCondition: Brand New\u003cbr\u003e\nFormat: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\nPublisher: Hanover Square Press\u003cbr\u003e\nGenre: Fiction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nStep into Cafe Funiculi Funicula, a basement coffee shop in Tokyo where legend says one seat lets a customer travel through time - but only until the coffee goes cold. This four-book paperback collection gathers Toshikazu Kawaguchi's beloved series, following visitors who each carry a private wish: to see a lost loved one, hear an unspoken apology, or say a final goodbye. Blending Japanese storytelling with gentle magical realism, the series has become an international word-of-mouth favorite - a thoughtful gift for book clubs, coffee lovers, and anyone drawn to stories about memory and second chances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Books\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nToshikazu Kawaguchi's series began life as a stage play before becoming a talked-about translated fiction phenomenon. Each installment returns readers to Cafe Funiculi Funicula, where strict, peculiar rules govern the time-travel seat: nothing done in the past can change the present, the traveler must return before the coffee cools, and they can only meet people who have also visited the cafe. Within these constraints, Kawaguchi builds intimate, bittersweet vignettes about customers waiting their turn in the chair. Before the Coffee Gets Cold introduces the cafe and four visitors seeking reconciliation with the past. Tales from the Cafe widens the circle of regulars, offering stories of unspoken gratitude and quiet courage. Before Your Memory Fades shifts partly to a sister cafe on a windswept hillside, where memory itself becomes fragile and precious. Before We Say Goodbye closes the arc with visitors confronting endings and words left unsaid. Read together, the four books form a gentle meditation on how ordinary conversations - an apology, a confession, a thank-you - can carry extraordinary weight when time is running out. Fans of reflective, slow-burn fiction with a touch of the fantastical will find this collection rewarding, best savored slowly, one cup of coffee at a time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Benefits\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComplete four-book paperback set in one convenient collection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFollows the full story arc across Cafe Funiculi Funicula and its sister cafe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIdeal gift for readers who enjoy Japanese fiction and gentle magical realism\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShort, self-contained chapters make it easy to pick up and put down\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreat for book clubs, coffee lovers, and fans of emotional, character-driven stories\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrand new paperback copies, ready to read or gift immediately\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook-by-Book Guide\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore the Coffee Gets Cold — Four visitors take turns in the cafe's legendary seat, hoping a trip to the past can ease regrets they've carried for years.\u003cbr\u003e\nTales from the Cafe — New regulars test the limits of the cafe's rules to voice gratitude, love, or long-overdue honesty.\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore Your Memory Fades — The story extends to a sister cafe in the mountains, where travelers confront fading memories and fragile bonds.\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore We Say Goodbye — The series' final chapter brings visitors face to face with farewells and bittersweet resolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nToshikazu Kawaguchi is a Japanese playwright and director born in Osaka in 1971. He has written and produced for the theatrical group Sonic Snail, and his original stage play Before the Coffee Gets Cold won the grand prize at the Suginami Drama Festival before being adapted into the novel that launched this series. Since its English-language debut, Kawaguchi's gentle, time-bending storytelling has found a devoted international readership, with the series becoming a word-of-mouth favorite among readers seeking quiet, emotionally resonant fiction translated from Japanese.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Collection\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is the complete set for readers who love slow, tender stories about memory, love, and second chances. With its cozy cafe setting and bittersweet time-travel premise, it's a wonderful birthday gift, book club pick, or stocking stuffer for anyone who enjoys reflective, quietly moving fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease Note: This is the UK edition with the ISBN as listed; the cover may vary slightly from the image shown.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Toshikazu Kawaguchi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57033667019126,"sku":"MAN-VRT-MAC-U25-0376181486","price":35.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0575\/6587\/2211\/files\/before-the-coffee-gets-cold-kawaguchi-paperback.jpg?v=1785517570"},{"product_id":"before-the-coffee-gets-cold-series-5-books-collection-set-toshikazu-kawaguchi-fiction","title":"Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi 5 Books Collection Set - Fiction - Mixed Format","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitles in This Set\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore the Coffee Gets Cold [Paperback]\u003cbr\u003e\nTales from the Cafe [Paperback]\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore Your Memory Fades [Paperback]\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore We Say Goodbye [Paperback]\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore We Forget Kindness [Hardcover]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nCondition: Brand New\u003cbr\u003e\nFormat: Mixed Format (Paperback + Hardcover)\u003cbr\u003e\nISBN: 9781529050868, 9781035032402, 9781035044528, 9781035046249, 9781529029581\u003cbr\u003e\nPublisher: Picador\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nStep inside a small basement cafe in Tokyo where, according to legend, a single seat allows customers to travel back in time. This five-book collection follows the regulars and strangers who sit in that chair, each hoping to revisit a moment they cannot let go. Toshikazu Kawaguchi builds an entire emotional universe around one strict rule: nothing in the present can change. Across all five volumes, readers meet grieving spouses, estranged parents, and quiet dreamers who discover that the past cannot be rewritten, only understood, and that a warm cup of coffee can hold more meaning than we ever expect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Books\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nOriginally written in Japanese and brought to English-language readers through Geoffrey Trousselot's translation, the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series began as a stage play before Toshikazu Kawaguchi reworked it into a bestselling novel. The premise stays deceptively simple across all five books: inside Cafe Funiculi Funicula, one particular seat lets a visitor travel back in time, provided they return before their coffee grows cold and accept that nothing they do can alter the present. What unfolds instead is a study of acceptance, communicated through short, interconnected stories about the people who take that seat. Some want one more conversation with someone they lost. Others want to say something they were too afraid or too proud to say the first time. Kawaguchi never lets the fantasy overshadow the feeling; the time-travel mechanic exists purely to illuminate ordinary human regret and the quiet courage it takes to move forward. As the series expands from the original cafe through later entries set in a hillside branch near Hakodate and beyond, the emotional core never wavers. Themes of family, memory, forgiveness, and the passage of time recur book after book, making this collection ideal for reading in sequence or dipping into individually. Fans of gentle, character-driven Japanese fiction, and anyone who enjoyed the international word-of-mouth success of the first novel, will find the remaining four books a natural continuation of the same tender, cinematic storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Benefits\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComplete run of five titles in the series, ready to read in order\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrand-new copies in a mix of paperback and hardcover formats\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGentle, translated Japanese fiction with broad appeal for adult readers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSelf-contained stories, so readers can start anywhere in the collection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA thoughtful gift for fans of quiet, character-driven novels\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCompact format that travels well for commutes and bedside reading\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook-by-Book Guide\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore the Coffee Gets Cold — Four visitors take the legendary seat to revisit a fading memory, an unspoken goodbye, and other unfinished moments before their coffee cools.\u003cbr\u003e\nTales from the Cafe — Translated by Geoffrey Trousselot, this second volume brings new guests to the cafe hoping to mend old regret.\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore Your Memory Fades — Set partly near Hakodate's Cafe Donna Donna, this installment follows loved ones confronting aging and memory.\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore We Say Goodbye — Regulars at Cafe Funiculi Funicula use the time-slip seat to offer comfort before a final parting.\u003cbr\u003e\nBefore We Forget Kindness — In this hardcover installment, new visitors carry quiet regrets, discovering that one small kindness can change the present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nToshikazu Kawaguchi is a Japanese playwright and director whose stage production inspired the original Before the Coffee Gets Cold novel. Since the book's English-language debut, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot, Kawaguchi has expanded the story into an international bestselling series exploring memory, regret, and human connection through the lens of a Tokyo time-travel cafe. His restrained, theatrical style favors intimate dialogue over spectacle, and his background in theater shows in the way each book stages small, emotionally charged encounters. Kawaguchi continues to write within this world, giving readers new characters while returning to the same beloved cafe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Collection\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThis five-book set is a comforting escape for anyone who loves reflective, character-driven fiction. Perfect as a birthday gift, holiday season present, or addition to a book club shelf, it rewards slow reading and quiet nights in. Start the series or complete your collection with these brand-new copies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease Note: This is the UK edition with the ISBN as listed; the cover may vary slightly from the image shown.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Toshikazu Kawaguchi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57033866248566,"sku":"MAN-VRT-MAC-U251840-7118721433","price":48.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0575\/6587\/2211\/files\/before-the-coffee-gets-cold-toshikazu-kawaguchi-mixed-format.jpg?v=1785518009"}],"url":"https:\/\/skymartbooks.com\/collections\/before-the-coffee-gets-cold.oembed","provider":"Skymart Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}