Traveling Back to His First Novel
If he could step into any of his books, Kawaguchi would visit the cafe from his first novel right before the plot begins, enjoying a coffee where the story was born.
T
Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Japanese
Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a Japanese author best known for his debut novel "Before the Coffee Gets Cold," a magical realist story set in a Tokyo café where customers can travel back in time as long as their coffee remains hot. The novel explores themes of regret, connection, and second chances through interconnected character narratives, and has become an international bestseller translated into numerous languages.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed Before the Coffee Gets Cold.
1
Books ReviewedIn Toshikazu Kawaguchi's own words
Toshikazu Kawaguchi discusses his writing routine, the inspiration for Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and the concept of time travel.
Uploaded by Centrul de Studii Romano-Japoneze, 2025 · Watch on YouTube ·
Drafting on Phone Before Laptop
Kawaguchi says his consistent writing habit is to draft notes on his phone first, then transfer them to his computer for rewriting.
Discovering Novels Through Tobe Shinjuro
Kawaguchi reveals he never read novels until age nineteen, when Tobe Shinjuro's ninja historical fiction sparked his passion for literature.
Revisiting His Father's Final Moments
If given the chance to travel through time, Kawaguchi would return to his childhood home in Osaka to be beside his father when he passed away and tell him he grew up to be a widely read author.
Also in this interview
Ask LuvemBooks about Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a Japanese author whose debut, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, builds its time-travel premise around a strict rule — customers of a Tokyo café can revisit the past only until their coffee goes cold. Across the 1 book we've reviewed, Kawaguchi uses that constraint to tell small, emotionally driven stories rather than sweeping speculative plots, an approach that has earned a 4.0/5 reader rating from nearly 40,000 Amazon ratings.
- Where should I start?
- Start with Before the Coffee Gets Cold — it's Kawaguchi's debut and the book that made their name, and it's the title we've reviewed. Its self-contained structure of four café visitors makes it an easy entry point, and it holds a 4.0/5 reader rating from 39,919 Amazon ratings.
- What's their writing style?
- Kawaguchi works in magical realism, but the magic is tightly constrained — the café's time travel ends the moment the coffee cools, forcing each story to focus on emotion rather than spectacle. Bloggers praise the book's moving small stories, though one reviewer objected to its traditionalist views of women, so expect gentle, sentimental storytelling with a conservative streak.
- Books we've reviewed
- We've reviewed 1 book by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Before the Coffee Gets Cold follows four visitors to a Tokyo café where time travel lasts only until the coffee cools; bloggers praise its moving small stories, though one objects to its traditionalist views of women. It holds a 4.0/5 reader rating from 39,919 Amazon ratings.
- What genre do they write?
- The book we've reviewed, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, is classified as Literary Fiction, and Kawaguchi's bio describes it as magical realism. The speculative element — time travel in a Tokyo café — serves quiet, emotional storytelling rather than genre adventure.
- What should I read after Before the Coffee Gets Cold?
- Before the Coffee Gets Cold is the only Kawaguchi book we've reviewed so far, so we can't yet point you to another of their titles from our own coverage. If you enjoyed its mix of magical realism and quiet emotional stories, look for other literary fiction with light speculative elements — and check back here as we review more of Kawaguchi's work.
Who is Toshikazu Kawaguchi?
Where should I start?
What's their writing style?
Books we've reviewed
What genre do they write?
What should I read after Before the Coffee Gets Cold?
Who is Toshikazu Kawaguchi?
Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a Japanese author best known for the debut novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold, a magical realist story set in a Tokyo café where customers can travel back in time as long as their coffee remains hot. The novel uses that setup to explore emotional, intimate stories rather than action-driven time travel.
Follow up
What is Before the Coffee Gets Cold about?
Where is Toshikazu Kawaguchi from?
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