On This Page
Description
The third novel in the international bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, following four new customers in a cafe where customers can travel back in time.On the hillside of Mount Hakodate in northern Japan, Cafe Donna Donna is fabled for its dazzling views of Hakodate port. But that's not all. Like the charming Tokyo cafe Funiculi Funicula, Cafe Donna Donna offers its customers the extraordinary experience of travelling through time.
From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold show more and Tales from the Cafe comes another story of four new customers, each of whom is hoping to take advantage of the cafe's time-travelling offer. Among some familiar faces from Toshikazu Kawaguchi's previous novels, readers will also be introduced to:
. show less
Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
‘’I don’t like the idea of dying with regrets.’’
In the café Donna Donna in beautiful Hakodate, lives are unfolding as autumn approaches. A heartbroken daughter wants to meet her parents to heal the pain of being left alone at a tender age. A husband meets his beloved wife who died before their shared dream was fulfilled. A young woman learns to smile again instructed by her deceased sister. An aspiring young actor wants to express his feelings to his childhood friend who is about to face an unknown ordeal.
So, you can’t change the present. The past is ‘’locked’’. The present is what it is. But the future is our own. And what kind of life is there when you are consumed by guilt and regret and the words that should not show more have remained unspoken? Loss is unbearable. Death is terrifying. But setting yourself free from regret is necessary. Putting one foot in front of the other won’t do. Life should be so much more than this. Giving voice to your feelings can become the finest balm for scars that may never be healed but will not bleed again. It is the mandatory step to move forward. You can’t change the present but the future deserves to be lived. And regret is a tombstone for the living.
Yes, Toshikazu Kawaguchi and his treasures keep breaking our hearts, but the hope, love, and sense of freedom that surround you when you read his books last long after your coffee gets cold. Within these pages, Life awaits. You don’t want to miss it…
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ show less
In the café Donna Donna in beautiful Hakodate, lives are unfolding as autumn approaches. A heartbroken daughter wants to meet her parents to heal the pain of being left alone at a tender age. A husband meets his beloved wife who died before their shared dream was fulfilled. A young woman learns to smile again instructed by her deceased sister. An aspiring young actor wants to express his feelings to his childhood friend who is about to face an unknown ordeal.
So, you can’t change the present. The past is ‘’locked’’. The present is what it is. But the future is our own. And what kind of life is there when you are consumed by guilt and regret and the words that should not show more have remained unspoken? Loss is unbearable. Death is terrifying. But setting yourself free from regret is necessary. Putting one foot in front of the other won’t do. Life should be so much more than this. Giving voice to your feelings can become the finest balm for scars that may never be healed but will not bleed again. It is the mandatory step to move forward. You can’t change the present but the future deserves to be lived. And regret is a tombstone for the living.
Yes, Toshikazu Kawaguchi and his treasures keep breaking our hearts, but the hope, love, and sense of freedom that surround you when you read his books last long after your coffee gets cold. Within these pages, Life awaits. You don’t want to miss it…
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ show less
There is another coffee shop for aspiring time travellers, this one in Hakodate rather than Tokyo, but the rules are the same. The book follows the same format of four interlinked stories. The first time I read it, following a gap after the first two, I found the repetition of the format rather forced, but reading the books together it felt effortless and charming.
In the latest book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, the action moves from the small, hidden café in Tokyo to a café in northern Japan with a beautiful view of the harbour. But fear not, the staff are the same (with one new addition) and the café has the ability to send customers back to the past for a short period. I don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of this sweet, uplifting yet at times very sad series!
You could start reading this series with this book, although I would recommend reading in order. We catch with the regular characters some time after the last book, so it’s nice to find out what’s been happening. The rules of going back to the past are explained more succinctly, almost mockingly of their show more rigidity which is different to the previous books, where they were explored more thoroughly. Still, the premise is the same – the stories of various customers who come to the café with the aim of going back to the past. There is the young woman who is angry at her parents for leaving her an orphan, the famous comedian in hiding wanting to speak to his dead wife to tell her of his achievement and the sister consumed by grief at her sibling’s death. Even one of the café employees goes back in time to tell his childhood friend something very important. There is also another theme running through the book – a question book about what you would do if the world was ending tomorrow. The questions aren’t easy, tackling themes of love, infidelity and debt amongst others. But it gives some insight into each of the characters and how they think. Plus, it gives page time to Sachi, a very inquisitive young girl who has just learned how to pour the magical coffee that sends someone into the past.
The front of the book has a chart of how all the characters are interconnected. I didn’t expect to need it, but I did. Some of the stories are a little similar this time round, with multiple characters (all women) experiencing short, tragic and fatal illnesses. (Also, I just want to add that bone marrow transplants don’t require surgery – it’s like having a drip hooked up and is incredibly uneventful and lacking in drama. This irked me and detracted away from the poignancy of the story.) Yes, the stories were sad and going back in time was bittersweet, but I did feel that this book was rushed in comparison to the first two. I would have liked to know more about the mysterious owner of Café Donna Donna, Yukari, who ran off to America to help a boy find his parents. She seems like a real livewire, yet the café staff weren’t overly happy with her even though the customers loved her.
I do think this series still has legs as it’s ultimately uplifting. I just think there could have been a bit more variety in the stories told.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less
You could start reading this series with this book, although I would recommend reading in order. We catch with the regular characters some time after the last book, so it’s nice to find out what’s been happening. The rules of going back to the past are explained more succinctly, almost mockingly of their show more rigidity which is different to the previous books, where they were explored more thoroughly. Still, the premise is the same – the stories of various customers who come to the café with the aim of going back to the past. There is the young woman who is angry at her parents for leaving her an orphan, the famous comedian in hiding wanting to speak to his dead wife to tell her of his achievement and the sister consumed by grief at her sibling’s death. Even one of the café employees goes back in time to tell his childhood friend something very important. There is also another theme running through the book – a question book about what you would do if the world was ending tomorrow. The questions aren’t easy, tackling themes of love, infidelity and debt amongst others. But it gives some insight into each of the characters and how they think. Plus, it gives page time to Sachi, a very inquisitive young girl who has just learned how to pour the magical coffee that sends someone into the past.
The front of the book has a chart of how all the characters are interconnected. I didn’t expect to need it, but I did. Some of the stories are a little similar this time round, with multiple characters (all women) experiencing short, tragic and fatal illnesses. (Also, I just want to add that bone marrow transplants don’t require surgery – it’s like having a drip hooked up and is incredibly uneventful and lacking in drama. This irked me and detracted away from the poignancy of the story.) Yes, the stories were sad and going back in time was bittersweet, but I did feel that this book was rushed in comparison to the first two. I would have liked to know more about the mysterious owner of Café Donna Donna, Yukari, who ran off to America to help a boy find his parents. She seems like a real livewire, yet the café staff weren’t overly happy with her even though the customers loved her.
I do think this series still has legs as it’s ultimately uplifting. I just think there could have been a bit more variety in the stories told.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less
First sentence: "Why are you in Hokkaido?" Kei Tokita's voice sounded tinny coming from the handset.
Premise/plot: Before Your Memory Fades is a book of connected novellas. It is the THIRD book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. The premise of the series is that there is a cafe with special, 'magical,' powers. There is one chair that will allow the occupant to travel forward or backward in time. But there are rules, of course there are rules. They have to stay seated, of course. They have to return to the present before the coffee turns cold. They can only meet people who have visited the cafe. Nothing they do in the past (or the future) will effect the present. Each story focuses on a journey (to the past or to the future). The show more 'main' characters are the staff of the cafe AND cafe regulars. (Think the sitcom Cheers). One of the running elements of this one is that one of the characters is ALWAYS reading a book--it is a book of questions (100, I believe) that pose various questions each with the premise of if the world was ending tomorrow...would you choose answer 1 or 2.
My thoughts: I picked this one up thinking it was book two. It wasn't. When did I realize this? Not until I was halfway through. Do I think it would have made more sense if I hadn't skipped book two (by accident)? Probably. Maybe. Do I think it would have been less confusing if I jotted down a list of characters? Definitely. Also I think if I had read the books--all three--in order and close together. I just had a hard time keeping track of the characters.
I liked the premise well enough. Though apparently there are two cafes with this magical ability? I had a hard time following some of the plot because the characters kept getting tangled up in my mind. show less
Premise/plot: Before Your Memory Fades is a book of connected novellas. It is the THIRD book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. The premise of the series is that there is a cafe with special, 'magical,' powers. There is one chair that will allow the occupant to travel forward or backward in time. But there are rules, of course there are rules. They have to stay seated, of course. They have to return to the present before the coffee turns cold. They can only meet people who have visited the cafe. Nothing they do in the past (or the future) will effect the present. Each story focuses on a journey (to the past or to the future). The show more 'main' characters are the staff of the cafe AND cafe regulars. (Think the sitcom Cheers). One of the running elements of this one is that one of the characters is ALWAYS reading a book--it is a book of questions (100, I believe) that pose various questions each with the premise of if the world was ending tomorrow...would you choose answer 1 or 2.
My thoughts: I picked this one up thinking it was book two. It wasn't. When did I realize this? Not until I was halfway through. Do I think it would have made more sense if I hadn't skipped book two (by accident)? Probably. Maybe. Do I think it would have been less confusing if I jotted down a list of characters? Definitely. Also I think if I had read the books--all three--in order and close together. I just had a hard time keeping track of the characters.
I liked the premise well enough. Though apparently there are two cafes with this magical ability? I had a hard time following some of the plot because the characters kept getting tangled up in my mind. show less
The third book in the Before The Coffee Gets Cold series, and what a great book.
If you haven't read any of this series yet then i really, whole heartedly, suggest you get back to the beginning and give them a go. The time-travelling-chair-in-a-cafe really is such a great story telling device, especially with the rules that come along with it.
And it's in those rules that the stories shine. The main one being that you cannot change anything in the present by going back to the past. This rule really does sort the wheat from the chaff and creates stories that are deep and meaningful for all of us.
This third book takes us away from the first cafe to another cafe in Japan with it's own chair and ghost. The owner has gone away so show more some of the crew from Tokyo have taken over because only a female over the age of 7 years, from their family, can pour the coffee.
A lot of this book is about death, and how we all deal with the death of a loved one, and the ending is incredible: Toshikazu really nailed the ending, it's so perfect and so moving. It's not often that my eyes get soggy at the end of a book, but this one did it perfectly. While the whole book is really good, it's only when you get to the ending that you realise that it's all been about building up the ending, where Toshikazu brings everything to a perfectly sharp focus.
And don't forget, the next book in the series, Before We Say Goodbye, is coming out in September 2023, so be sure to put that in your diary.
Bye for now. show less
If you haven't read any of this series yet then i really, whole heartedly, suggest you get back to the beginning and give them a go. The time-travelling-chair-in-a-cafe really is such a great story telling device, especially with the rules that come along with it.
And it's in those rules that the stories shine. The main one being that you cannot change anything in the present by going back to the past. This rule really does sort the wheat from the chaff and creates stories that are deep and meaningful for all of us.
This third book takes us away from the first cafe to another cafe in Japan with it's own chair and ghost. The owner has gone away so show more some of the crew from Tokyo have taken over because only a female over the age of 7 years, from their family, can pour the coffee.
A lot of this book is about death, and how we all deal with the death of a loved one, and the ending is incredible: Toshikazu really nailed the ending, it's so perfect and so moving. It's not often that my eyes get soggy at the end of a book, but this one did it perfectly. While the whole book is really good, it's only when you get to the ending that you realise that it's all been about building up the ending, where Toshikazu brings everything to a perfectly sharp focus.
And don't forget, the next book in the series, Before We Say Goodbye, is coming out in September 2023, so be sure to put that in your diary.
Bye for now. show less
My Rating : 3.5⭐ (Audio Narration 4/5; Book: 3/5)
“People’s true feelings are not in plain sight. The other person might not be thinking anything, but there is a tendency to just assume what the other is feeling without reaching out and asking.”
DA-DING-DONG
Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (translated by Geoffrey Trousselot), Book #3 in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series takes us back to a special café where customers can embark on a journey to a different time. However, unlike the first two books of the series which were set in Café Funiculi Funicula in Tokyo, we meet Nagare and Kazu along with her seven-year-old daughter Sachi at Café Donna Donna in Hakodate. Nagare’s mother, Yukari who owns and runs the show more café is currently traveling, leaving Nagare and Kazu to fill in. The rules of time travel are the same (among which are the fact that nothing can change the present and the time traveler needs to return to the present before the specially brewed coffee served to him/her gets cold) and the time-traveling chair is only available when its occupant (the ghostly figure of an elderly gentleman) temporarily leaves his seat.
“Things that you put off saying until tomorrow are sometimes never said.”
As the narrative progresses, we meet the café staff, regular customers and those who come into the café for an opportunity to travel back/forth in time among whom is a young woman who desires to meet her deceased parents who she lost when she was just an infant, a renowned comedian who wants to share the news of an accomplishment with his deceased wife, a woman who is unable to cope with the loss of her sister and a young man who wants to share his feelings with the woman he loves. We also get to meet, Sachi, Kazu’s seven-year-old daughter whose fascination with the book,“What If the World Were Ending Tomorrow? One Hundred Questions” leads to quite a few interesting conversations.
In simple yet elegant prose, with elements of fantasy and magical realism and an interesting cast of characters, the author touches upon themes of love, loss, grief and moving on. While I did enjoy the characters and their stories and some beautifully penned passages, I felt the narrative to be repetitive (at this point there was no need to repeat the rules of time travel so many times throughout the book) and lacking in depth as compared to the previous installments. The characters, their emotions and their motivations could have been explored further. I also wanted to know more about the occupant of the time travel chair. I’m guessing I’ll have to wait for any future installments to satisfy my curiosity.
Overall, while I did enjoy this book, I didn't find it as emotionally hard-hitting or satisfying as the previous installment, Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café, which remains my favorite among the three books in the series.
I paired my reading with the wonderful audio narration by Kevin Shen which I thoroughly enjoyed. To fully appreciate the stories and the characters, I strongly recommend reading/listening to the books in series order.
“Inside every person is an inherent capability to make it through any kind of difficulty. Everyone has that energy. But sometimes when that energy flows via our anxiety valve, the flow can be restricted. The greater that anxiety, the greater the strength needed to open the valve and release the energy. That strength is empowered by hope. You could say that hope is the power to believe in the future.” show less
“People’s true feelings are not in plain sight. The other person might not be thinking anything, but there is a tendency to just assume what the other is feeling without reaching out and asking.”
DA-DING-DONG
Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (translated by Geoffrey Trousselot), Book #3 in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series takes us back to a special café where customers can embark on a journey to a different time. However, unlike the first two books of the series which were set in Café Funiculi Funicula in Tokyo, we meet Nagare and Kazu along with her seven-year-old daughter Sachi at Café Donna Donna in Hakodate. Nagare’s mother, Yukari who owns and runs the show more café is currently traveling, leaving Nagare and Kazu to fill in. The rules of time travel are the same (among which are the fact that nothing can change the present and the time traveler needs to return to the present before the specially brewed coffee served to him/her gets cold) and the time-traveling chair is only available when its occupant (the ghostly figure of an elderly gentleman) temporarily leaves his seat.
“Things that you put off saying until tomorrow are sometimes never said.”
As the narrative progresses, we meet the café staff, regular customers and those who come into the café for an opportunity to travel back/forth in time among whom is a young woman who desires to meet her deceased parents who she lost when she was just an infant, a renowned comedian who wants to share the news of an accomplishment with his deceased wife, a woman who is unable to cope with the loss of her sister and a young man who wants to share his feelings with the woman he loves. We also get to meet, Sachi, Kazu’s seven-year-old daughter whose fascination with the book,“What If the World Were Ending Tomorrow? One Hundred Questions” leads to quite a few interesting conversations.
In simple yet elegant prose, with elements of fantasy and magical realism and an interesting cast of characters, the author touches upon themes of love, loss, grief and moving on. While I did enjoy the characters and their stories and some beautifully penned passages, I felt the narrative to be repetitive (at this point there was no need to repeat the rules of time travel so many times throughout the book) and lacking in depth as compared to the previous installments. The characters, their emotions and their motivations could have been explored further. I also wanted to know more about the occupant of the time travel chair. I’m guessing I’ll have to wait for any future installments to satisfy my curiosity.
Overall, while I did enjoy this book, I didn't find it as emotionally hard-hitting or satisfying as the previous installment, Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café, which remains my favorite among the three books in the series.
I paired my reading with the wonderful audio narration by Kevin Shen which I thoroughly enjoyed. To fully appreciate the stories and the characters, I strongly recommend reading/listening to the books in series order.
“Inside every person is an inherent capability to make it through any kind of difficulty. Everyone has that energy. But sometimes when that energy flows via our anxiety valve, the flow can be restricted. The greater that anxiety, the greater the strength needed to open the valve and release the energy. That strength is empowered by hope. You could say that hope is the power to believe in the future.” show less
You will recognize this book's pattern if you are familiar with Toshikazu Kawaguchi's previous books. He divided the book into four independent stories, each involving time travel. However, the events take place fifteen years into the future from the first book. Nagare and Kazu are in Hakodate, tending to Nagare's mother's café (Café Donna Donna) because she went to America to help someone.
Nagare's daughter, Miku, stays behind in Tokyo to manage Nagare's café. Kazu is a mother, and her daughter now pours coffee for those who wish to travel in time. They repeat the rules in every story, which can become tedious; however, this repetition is necessary because each story is independent of the others.
While the author does not spend much show more time discussing the main characters, Nagare and Kazu, an astute reader will learn much about them from the subtle character of the conversation.
Once again, he treads a familiar theme: incomplete conversations, loss, regret, heartbreak, etc. Once again, the time travelers journey through time to meet people they left behind to seek completion.
There is a young woman who wants to confront her dead parents, a comedian who wants to share some news with his wife, a woman who wants to speak to her sister, and a man who wants to say something to a woman he loves.
In each case, the travelers return, amend their lives and attitudes, and change their future. While they cannot change the present, they can change the course of their lives. In this way, the book offers them the chance of redemption, of hope.
While the books deal with loss, miscommunication, and other related issues, they also offer hope. This hope, for me, is the enduring message in these stories. show less
Nagare's daughter, Miku, stays behind in Tokyo to manage Nagare's café. Kazu is a mother, and her daughter now pours coffee for those who wish to travel in time. They repeat the rules in every story, which can become tedious; however, this repetition is necessary because each story is independent of the others.
While the author does not spend much show more time discussing the main characters, Nagare and Kazu, an astute reader will learn much about them from the subtle character of the conversation.
Once again, he treads a familiar theme: incomplete conversations, loss, regret, heartbreak, etc. Once again, the time travelers journey through time to meet people they left behind to seek completion.
There is a young woman who wants to confront her dead parents, a comedian who wants to share some news with his wife, a woman who wants to speak to her sister, and a man who wants to say something to a woman he loves.
In each case, the travelers return, amend their lives and attitudes, and change their future. While they cannot change the present, they can change the course of their lives. In this way, the book offers them the chance of redemption, of hope.
While the books deal with loss, miscommunication, and other related issues, they also offer hope. This hope, for me, is the enduring message in these stories. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Japanese Literature
230 works; 37 members
Books Read in 2023
5,547 works; 145 members
Stories set on Island Country of Japan
18 works; 3 members
Global Reads: Books Set in East Asia
139 works; 12 members
Time Travel Stories
64 works; 6 members
Author Information
32 Works 10,960 Members
Some Editions
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Before Your Memory Fades
- Original title
- 思い出が消えないうちに
- Original publication date
- 2018-09-25
- People/Characters*
- Kazu Tokita; Sachi Tokita; Nagare Tokita; Reiji Ono
- Important places
- Hakodate, Japan; Café Donna Donna
- Epigraph
- If you could go back, who would you want to meet?
- First words
- Why are you in Hokkaido?
- Quotations
- It will be too late tomorrow, when the world ends.
Inside every person is an inherent capability to make it through any kind of difficulty. Everyone has that energy. But sometimes when that energy flows via our anxiety valve, the flow can be restricted. The greater the anxiet... (show all)y, the greater the strength needed to open the valve and release the energy.
That strength is empowered by hope. You could say that hope is the power to believe in the future. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Yukari Tokita, Author.
- Original language
- Japanese
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy
- DDC/MDS
- 895.63 — Literature & rhetoric Literatures of other languages Literatures of East and Southeast Asia Japanese Japanese fiction
- LCC
- PL872.5 .A85 .O4613 — Language and Literature Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania Languages of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania Japanese language and literature Japanese literature
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 1,211
- Popularity
- 20,375
- Reviews
- 24
- Rating
- (3.77)
- Languages
- 10 — Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 33
- ASINs
- 7