Read Around the World. Japan

"You can't change the present whatever you do, but you can change your mind."

This is a sci-fi time travel novel by Japanese author Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It is set in Tokyo, at the Funiculi Funicula café, a very special little café where patrons can sit on a chair and take a trip into the past. There are many rules associated with the time-travel (repeated rather frequently throughout the book) with the most important one being that you must drink the coffee before it gets cold, or maybe you’ll turn into a ghost like the mysterious woman always sitting there.

The book tells four stories of people who time-travel and their reasons for doing so. Fumiko is a well-educated working woman who wants to go back and replay her last meeting with Goro, a man who left her to travel to the US. Maybe if she waits long enough he will return to her. Personally I would have slammed the door right after him and not looked back.

In the second story Kohtake goes back to meet her husband Fusagi who has dementia and doesn’t remember her. Going back to the past will not change the present but interestingly it may change your attitude towards it. The odd part of this story was that she went back to read a letter that she already had in the present but wouldn’t read.

Thirdly Hirai returns to meet her younger sister Kumi, before she is killed in an accident. Her sister has been begging her to give up her freedom and return to the family business.

Lastly, Kei the wife of the café owner Nagare, decides to go to the future to see her unborn child as she knows that with her heart condition she is unlikely to survive the pregnancy if she chooses to continue with it.

I found this an engrossing little book. It is a wonderful premise for a story, I just think it would have been a more dynamic story if it was written by a woman. All of the four women who travel seem to be very passive and obliging, maybe a man’s fantasy version of a woman rather than a real one. Each story involves great sacrifice on behalf of the woman, usually for very mediocre and uninspiring men. Other than the dementia story, in which case it seemed reasonable, I felt the sacrifices and choices made were abhorrent and disempowering. As for the café owner…what kind of man is OK with allowing his wife to continue a pregnancy that will kill her just so he can have a child? . I have no words, or at least not polite ones. A 4 star read rounded down to 3.5 for the fairly misogynist standpoint. ( )

A delightful book with an interesting twist. Go to a specific café, sit in a specific chair, drink a cup of coffee, time travel. The twist is you must return before the coffee gets cold. Four interconnecting stories bring us stories that resonate. They deal with relationships and changed hearts, and ultimately, changed lives.

This book was originally written as a play and then adapted into a book. As it is a translation from Japanese, I don't think it translated very well in places. In a few spots in the book, the writing seems to amble this way and that. I'm sure a few phrases were "lost in translation".

However, it is beautiful book. ( )

I will agree with someone that mentioned that it was written like a theatrical play. The idea and the message is good, however I felt that a lot of character’s stories were rushed and unfinished. The author spent more time describing unnecessary things than actually focusing on the plot. Overall it’s a good book, but I am left with a feeling that I wanted more! I’m left with a feeling of an unfinished story!

I felt disappointed that I was left with many unanswered questions.
For example, we didn’t get an answer/a story telling us about the Ghost Lady! Who is she? How she became the Ghost? What was her story that made her not finishing her coffee before it got cold?

"Before the Coffee Gets Cold" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a novel that revolves around time travel and the stories of individuals who visit a mysterious café.

Here are ten potential lessons or themes that readers might take away from the book:

1. The Fragility of Time:

2. Value of Connection:

3. Consequences of Actions:

4. Appreciation for the Present:

5. Regret and Redemption:

6. The Power of Communication:

7. Embracing Change:

8. Understanding Others' Perspectives:

9. Gratitude for Second Chances:

10. Living Authentically: ( )

I thought this was a cute little read an a enjoyable story. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I didn't not listen to others. I thought it would be a more though provoking story but I didn't get that when I read it. Another thing I felt is that this book suffers from the translation. I feel that some of the metaphors that where in Japanese probably didn't get conveyed over in English. Overall, I would still find myself recommending this book to others. ( )

This book was fine. It read more like a play in my head, but I believe it *was* a play before a book ... and the setting and characters just lend themselves more to that. I'm sure some of the emotional and dramatic stuff is lost in the translation and cultural differences (translated from Japanese). But overall it's still a fun little read with an interesting premise and you get to read about some interesting characters. ( )