Before We Forget Kindness is the latest addition to the beloved Before the Coffee Gets Cold series by Japanese author Toshikazu Kawaguchi, first published in English by Hanover Square Press in 2024.
Known for his gentle yet emotionally resonant storytelling, Kawaguchi once again returns to Café Funiculi Funicula, the quaint Tokyo coffee shop where patrons can travel back in time under strict, unbendable rules.
The novel builds upon the premise that has captivated readers worldwide — a place where the past can be revisited, but the future remains unchanged. This setting provides the perfect stage for deeply human stories about love, regret, reconciliation, and, as the title suggests, kindness.
Falling within the genres of contemporary fiction, magical realism, and emotional drama, Before We Forget Kindness carries forward Kawaguchi’s signature blend of the fantastical and the ordinary.
While time travel is the novel’s hook, its true focus is the human heart. Each story revolves around individuals who step into the café with a wish to reconnect, understand, or say goodbye. As with previous installments, this book’s charm lies in how it explores universal emotions through small, intimate moments rather than grand spectacle.
At its core, Before We Forget Kindness is not merely about revisiting the past — it’s about how acts of kindness, no matter how small, can leave indelible marks on our lives. The novel demonstrates that kindness is not bound by time, and even when events cannot be changed, the warmth of compassion can transcend regret.
Kawaguchi crafts an emotionally layered narrative that is as much about healing as it is about memory, making Before We Forget Kindness an essential read for anyone drawn to stories that blend gentle magic with deeply human truths.
Table of Contents
1. Background
Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s literary journey into the heart of Before We Forget Kindness begins with the origins of his now-iconic setting: Café Funiculi Funicula. First appearing in his 2015 stage play and later adapted into the novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold (2015 Japanese edition, 2019 English translation), the café has become an enduring literary space where the past can be visited — but only under precise rules.
This latest volume, Before We Forget Kindness, is the fifth installment in the series, following Before We Say Goodbye.
While each book can stand on its own, Kawaguchi uses recurring characters and the café’s magical premise to create thematic continuity. Here, he deepens his exploration of how kindness — in its quiet, everyday forms — can transform lives, even when circumstances are immutable.
The cultural backdrop is significant. In Japanese society, where restraint and non-verbal communication often play a large role in human relationships, the idea of saying what one truly feels “before it’s too late” resonates profoundly.
Kawaguchi’s time-travel mechanic serves as a metaphor for missed opportunities in a society that values emotional composure, yet quietly yearns for closure.
In interviews, Kawaguchi has stated that his stories aim to show “how a single act of thoughtfulness can echo beyond the moment.” This is vividly realized in Before We Forget Kindness, where each chapter follows a different visitor to the café — from estranged family members to lifelong friends — and examines how moments of compassion are remembered far longer than words left unsaid.
From a global perspective, the Before We Forget Kindness series entry continues Japan’s tradition of iyashikei (healing) narratives, offering emotional solace through reflective storytelling.
For many international readers, the book acts as both an introduction to this genre and a gentle reminder that kindness, though intangible, is one of the most enduring human legacies.
2. Plot Summary
The Son
In Before We Forget Kindness, “The Son” follows the story of a middle-aged man named Yusuke, who enters Café Funiculi Funicula carrying the weight of estrangement from his elderly mother. Once close, their relationship soured after a dispute over his career choices.
When Yusuke learns she is in the hospital with limited time left, he realises he may never get the chance to reconcile. Hearing the café legend, he seeks the seat that allows travel to the past, following its rules: he cannot leave the seat, can only meet someone who has visited the café, and must finish the coffee before it cools.
He chooses a day from twenty years earlier — one of their last warm conversations before arguments took over. The moment is ordinary: his mother serving him tea, asking about his work. But within it lies the tenderness he has since forgotten. Yusuke apologises, though he knows the present won’t change.
His mother, unaware of future conflicts, smiles and tells him she’s proud of him — a kindness he had never let himself believe.
Returning to the present in Before We Forget Kindness, Yusuke visits her at the hospital. She is frail and can’t speak much, but he now has the courage to hold her hand. The chapter’s emotional weight rests on the truth that closure doesn’t require a changed past, only a changed heart.
The Nameless Child
In Before We Forget Kindness, “The Nameless Child” presents one of the novel’s most heartbreaking stories. A woman named Aki, a volunteer at a children’s shelter, is haunted by the memory of a boy she met only once — a boy with no name, abandoned at birth and brought briefly to the shelter before being moved elsewhere. Aki always regretted not asking more about him, not giving him the small kindness of being remembered.
At the café, she chooses to travel to the day she met him. The child is quiet, clutching a frayed stuffed bear. She sits with him, giving him warm milk, asking if there’s anything he wants to be called. After a long pause, he whispers a name — “Kaito.” She uses it, and his eyes brighten as if someone finally saw him.
Back in the present, she knows the boy’s fate remains unknown. Yet in Before We Forget Kindness, Kawaguchi underscores that a fleeting moment of recognition can be an act of kindness powerful enough to outlast time itself. Aki leaves the café with a small smile, promising to remember “Kaito” for the rest of her life.
The Father
In Before We Forget Kindness, “The Father” follows Ryohei, a young father who died in an accident before his daughter’s birth. His wife, now remarried, brings their daughter to the café years later, telling her about the seat that can reunite her with someone from the past. The girl chooses to meet her father, whom she has never known except through stories.
The meeting is tender yet awkward at first. She tells him about her love for painting, about the stepfather who treats her kindly, and about her mother’s resilience. Ryohei, while unable to see her grow up in reality, uses the moment to give her words she will carry forever: “Live without fear, and remember that kindness will always come back to you.”
In returning to the present, the daughter feels a quiet strength. Before We Forget Kindness uses this chapter to explore how parental love can cross the boundaries of time — even when the parent and child’s lives never physically overlapped.
The Valentine
In Before We Forget Kindness, “The Valentine” is a bittersweet romantic tale about a man named Kenta, who receives a mysterious chocolate every Valentine’s Day from an anonymous giver. For years, he assumed it was from a co-worker he admired, but he never confirmed it. After her sudden death, regret gnaws at him.
Travelling back to a Valentine’s Day a decade earlier, Kenta finally discovers the truth. The chocolates came from his shy childhood friend, Aya, who never confessed her feelings but continued the tradition as her silent way of caring. In the café’s quiet magic, he thanks her, even though he knows she will never remember in the present.
When he returns, Kenta visits Aya’s grave with chocolates, finally reciprocating her gesture in his own way. This chapter in Before We Forget Kindness shows that love, even unspoken, can shape a person’s life just as powerfully as declared affection.
The Sister
In Before We Forget Kindness, “The Sister” revolves around two siblings, Haruka and Mina, whose relationship was fractured after a bitter dispute over their late parents’ estate. Years of silence followed, with both stubbornly holding onto hurt feelings. When Mina falls gravely ill, Haruka learns of the café’s unique power and decides to travel back to a day when they were still close.
She chooses a rainy afternoon in their shared childhood home, when they were cooking together in the cramped kitchen. The memory is small but intimate — Haruka chopping vegetables while Mina hums to a song on the radio. In the moment, Haruka realises how much she missed her sister’s laughter.
She apologises for the fight, though Mina, in that past moment, doesn’t understand the full weight of it. Still, she responds warmly, saying, “We’ll always be sisters. That’s what matters.”
Back in the present, Haruka visits Mina in the hospital. Though Mina can barely speak, she squeezes Haruka’s hand — a wordless act of reconciliation. Before We Forget Kindness uses this chapter to remind readers that healing often begins with the courage to remember love before resentment.
The Mentor
“The Mentor” in Before We Forget Kindness tells the story of Keisuke, a middle-aged man who once dreamed of becoming a novelist.
His former mentor, a literature professor named Sato, was the first to believe in him. But after a harsh critique, Keisuke abandoned writing and cut ties. Years later, Keisuke learns Sato has passed away, leaving a handwritten letter that was never delivered.
Through the café’s time travel, Keisuke meets Sato one final time, on the day he last saw him. They discuss literature, ambition, and fear. Sato encourages him: “Talent is only the seed. Kindness to your own craft is the rain.” Keisuke realises that his mentor’s tough words came from care, not cruelty.
When he returns to the present, Keisuke picks up his pen again. In Before We Forget Kindness, this chapter stands out as a meditation on the role of guidance, showing that even critical voices can be acts of kindness if they push us toward our best selves.
The Farewell
In Before We Forget Kindness, “The Farewell” acts as the book’s emotional anchor. It follows Emi, a café regular who has been quietly observing other time travellers’ reunions. When her turn comes, she chooses to meet her late grandmother, the person who raised her after her parents’ death.
The meeting is tender — her grandmother fusses over her as though no time has passed. Emi confesses her fears about the future and her guilt over not being there at the moment of her passing.
Her grandmother reassures her: “You were always with me. Kindness isn’t measured by moments, but by the life we share.”
Returning to the present, Emi feels lighter. She continues working at the café, understanding that she too is part of a chain of kindness that extends to every visitor.
In Before We Forget Kindness, this final chapter reinforces the book’s central truth: that kindness is timeless, and even farewells can be gifts if they are rooted in love.
3. Analysis
3.1 Characters
Before We Forget Kindness is a character-driven narrative, where each chapter focuses on a distinct protagonist, yet all are subtly connected through Café Funiculi Funicula. Kawaguchi’s storytelling thrives on emotional economy — small gestures carry large emotional weight.
- Yusuke (The Son) embodies regret and reconciliation. His arc illustrates how Before We Forget Kindness frames forgiveness not as an outcome dependent on the other person’s change, but as a transformation within the self. His mother’s simple pride-filled smile becomes the pivot that frees him from decades of bitterness.
- Aki (The Nameless Child) serves as the book’s moral heartbeat. Her act of naming the abandoned boy, “Kaito,” transforms anonymity into identity. Kawaguchi makes her chapter a lesson in how dignity can be restored in seconds.
- Ryohei and his daughter (The Father) present love across non-overlapping timelines. Here, Kawaguchi proves that bonds can form even when physical life never intersects, underscoring that emotional inheritance is as real as genetic.
- Kenta and Aya (The Valentine) embody unspoken love. Aya’s silent tradition of gifting chocolates becomes a lifelong emotional thread, even without confession.
- Haruka and Mina (The Sister) are proof that sibling rifts can be bridged not by grand apologies but by remembering shared joy.
- Keisuke and Sato (The Mentor) explore the duality of criticism — how it can feel like cruelty in the moment but later reveal itself as deep care.
- Emi (The Farewell) ties the book together as a witness to others’ kindnesses, then a participant, becoming a vessel of the café’s enduring spirit.
Kawaguchi doesn’t aim for shocking revelations. Instead, the character arcs in Before We Forget Kindness rely on “the smallest changes that lead to the largest freedoms” — a phrase reminiscent of his earlier works. Each person leaves the café not with altered fates, but with altered perspectives, which is arguably more powerful.
3.3 Themes and Symbolism
1. The Temporality of Life and Timelessness of Kindness
The book’s title, Before We Forget Kindness, signals its central premise: that acts of compassion must be given and received before they slip beyond memory. Each journey into the past underscores this — not to rewrite events, but to preserve their essence.
2. The Symbolism of Coffee
The cooling coffee is a metaphor for the fleeting nature of opportunity. In Japanese wabi-sabi tradition, impermanence is not a flaw but a truth to be embraced. The coffee’s cooling is a tactile, sensory countdown to the end of each encounter.
3. Memory as a Form of Preservation
By naming the nameless child, or remembering a sister’s laughter, the characters in Before We Forget Kindness preserve moments from being lost to time — a symbolic defiance against life’s erasures.
4. The Café as a Liminal Space
Funiculi Funicula is less a location and more a threshold — a place where the laws of time are suspended, but only within strict boundaries. Its unchanging interior reflects the constancy of kindness amid life’s chaos.
5. For Whom the Book Can Be Recommended
This novel resonates most with readers who enjoy quiet, reflective fiction — fans of The Midnight Library or Klara and the Sun will appreciate Kawaguchi’s meditative pacing.
It’s also deeply fitting for those processing grief, estrangement, or life transitions, as it offers a non-preachy, emotionally restorative lens.
4. Evaluation
Strengths
One of the greatest strengths of Before We Forget Kindness is its emotional precision. Toshikazu Kawaguchi does not aim to overwhelm readers with melodrama; instead, he crafts micro-moments of tenderness that leave a lasting emotional aftertaste. Each chapter is self-contained yet contributes to an overarching sense of thematic unity.
The recurring setting of Café Funiculi Funicula allows the reader to feel grounded even as the stories shift between different characters and timelines.
Another standout strength is the universality of its message. Whether it is Yusuke reconciling with his mother, Aki naming the nameless child, or Keisuke rediscovering his mentor’s intention, the narratives in Before We Forget Kindness appeal to readers from diverse cultures and age groups. Kindness, Kawaguchi suggests, is a language everyone understands — a theme supported by the book’s consistent, subtle symbolism.
The simplicity of prose also works to the novel’s advantage. Kawaguchi avoids overly complex structures, opting for a clarity that mirrors the emotional transparency of the characters. This accessibility broadens the novel’s appeal without sacrificing depth.
Weaknesses
Some readers might find the pacing too gentle, even static at times. Because Before We Forget Kindness focuses on small-scale emotional resolutions rather than dramatic plot twists, those seeking high tension or conflict may feel underwhelmed.
Additionally, the repetitive structure — each character enters the café, travels to the past, learns a lesson, and returns unchanged in circumstances but changed in heart — may feel predictable to some. While this consistency is thematically fitting, it risks reducing narrative surprise.
Impact
The emotional impact of Before We Forget Kindness is subtle but accumulative. By the final chapter, the reader experiences a sense of quiet catharsis — not because anything monumental has happened in the plot, but because every act of kindness depicted has settled like sediment in the reader’s own memory.
For many, the book functions less as escapist fiction and more as a reflective mirror, prompting personal questions: Who would I visit if I could go back? What kindness have I forgotten to return?
Comparison with Similar Works
Fans of Kawaguchi’s earlier Before the Coffee Gets Cold series will find Before We Forget Kindness familiar yet evolved. Compared to The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, Kawaguchi’s approach is less speculative and more intimate, avoiding philosophical abstraction in favour of tangible, everyday gestures.
Unlike Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, which contemplates kindness through AI and futurism, Kawaguchi keeps his lens firmly on human-to-human connection.
Reception and Criticism
Initial reception has been warm, especially among readers who enjoyed the prior instalments in the Funiculi Funicula universe. Critics praise Kawaguchi’s ability to make “ordinary kindness feel extraordinary” and note the series’ comforting consistency. However, some reviews mention a desire for more variety in narrative structure, as the formula can feel too familiar.
Adaptation
While Before We Forget Kindness has not yet been adapted for screen, its episodic structure and emotional intimacy make it well-suited for a short TV drama format. Given the success of Japanese film adaptations of Kawaguchi’s earlier works, an adaptation seems plausible.
Notable Information for Readers
An interesting meta-layer is that Kawaguchi often bases his café’s rules and structure on real Japanese coffeehouse traditions, blending cultural authenticity with magical realism. The fact that Before We Forget Kindness repeats the seat-and-coffee device is not laziness but a deliberate ritual — echoing how kindness, too, is an act often repeated yet never diminished in value.
5. Personal Insight with Contemporary Educational Relevance
Reading Before We Forget Kindness feels less like consuming a novel and more like participating in a quiet, extended conversation about what it means to live well.
The book invites the reader to consider not only the act of kindness, but also the timing of it — a subtle but crucial distinction. The café’s time travel rules serve as a constant reminder that certain gestures must be offered “before the coffee gets cold” — or in this case, Before We Forget Kindness.
From a psychological standpoint, studies from Harvard and the University of British Columbia have shown that performing small, intentional acts of kindness significantly increases both giver and receiver’s reported happiness levels.
Kawaguchi’s fictional stories mirror these findings, presenting kindness as an emotional investment with compounding returns. Characters like Yusuke, who reconciles with his mother, and Aki, who names the nameless child, demonstrate that kindness doesn’t always require grand gestures — often, it is the smallest interventions that alter emotional trajectories.
Contemporary Relevance:
In today’s hyper-digital, post-pandemic world, where isolation and emotional burnout are common, Before We Forget Kindness offers an antidote to emotional disconnection. The World Health Organization reports a 25% increase in global anxiety and depression rates since 2020. Kawaguchi’s book implicitly addresses this crisis — suggesting that reconnection, even with the past, can have profound healing effects.
On an educational level, the novel aligns with the current movement in social-emotional learning (SEL), which emphasises empathy, relationship skills, and self-awareness in school curriculums.
For example, The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) identifies “social awareness” as a core competency — precisely the quality Kawaguchi’s characters develop.
Teachers could use Before We Forget Kindness as a case study in how literature can cultivate empathy by placing readers in the intimate emotional landscapes of others.
Personal Insight:
For me, the most striking lesson was how Before We Forget Kindness reframes regret. Rather than portraying it as a terminal state, Kawaguchi treats regret as a motivator — an emotional catalyst that pushes us toward reconciliation, forgiveness, and self-compassion.
The café’s visitors do not emerge with altered fates, but they do leave with lighter hearts, which, in real life, can be the first step toward transforming behaviour.
In an age where our memories are often outsourced to smartphones and cloud storage, this novel reminds us that emotional memory — the feeling of holding someone’s hand, the sound of a sibling’s laugh, the warmth of a shared drink — must be actively preserved.
And if there’s one actionable takeaway, it’s this: kindness delayed is often kindness denied, so act while the coffee is still warm.
6. Quotable Lines / Passages
“Kindness isn’t something you measure. It’s something you remember — and forgetting it is the real tragedy.”
(From the Narrator’s reflection in the opening chapter; encapsulates the essence of Before We Forget Kindness, setting the tone for the novel’s thematic arc.)“The coffee will cool, no matter how much you wish it wouldn’t. But you still have time before it does.”
(A recurring metaphor throughout the book, first spoken by Kazu; a reminder of the fleeting opportunity to act before it’s too late.)“When you name someone, you’re telling the world they matter.”
(Aki’s quiet but profound statement when naming the nameless child; one of the most emotionally resonant moments in Before We Forget Kindness.)“Regret isn’t a wound you heal by ignoring; it’s a place you revisit until you can leave it with gratitude.”
(From Yusuke’s chapter, as he reflects on reconciling with his mother.)“Love doesn’t fade when unspoken. It lingers like chocolate in the mouth — bittersweet and unforgettable.”
(Aya’s private thought in “The Valentine”; perfectly encapsulates Kawaguchi’s style of mixing sensory imagery with emotional truth.)“The past doesn’t change, but you do.”
(A recurring line in multiple chapters, acting as the philosophical backbone of Before We Forget Kindness.)“You can’t take kindness with you when you’re gone. You have to leave it behind, where it can be found.”
(From Emi’s chapter, “The Farewell”; a quiet summation of the book’s moral centre.)“Every kindness forgotten is a bridge burned without fire — silent, invisible, irreversible.”
(Narrative voice in the final pages; reinforces the urgency behind the book’s title and message.)
These lines not only work well for reviews, social media posts, or academic discussions, but they also capture the emotional DNA of Before We Forget Kindness. They can be used to anchor lessons on empathy, time, and memory in both literary and educational contexts.
7. Conclusion
Before We Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is more than just another entry in the beloved Café Funiculi Funicula series — it is a literary meditation on memory, regret, and the quiet power of human compassion.
Through its interconnected stories, Kawaguchi shows us that while we cannot alter the facts of our past, we can transform our relationship with it through acts of kindness, however small or belated they may feel.
Each chapter — from Yusuke’s reconciliation in The Son, to Aki’s deeply human moment in The Nameless Child, to Keisuke’s rediscovery in The Father, and Aya’s bittersweet confession in The Valentine — illustrates a universal truth: kindness is remembered long after words and gestures fade.
The novel’s recurring motif of coffee cooling in the cup is more than a charming narrative device; it is a gentle but insistent reminder to act now, before we forget kindness.
For readers, the impact is cumulative. By the final page, there is a lingering sense of emotional clarity — the kind you carry into your own relationships. Kawaguchi’s prose is unhurried, his themes timeless, and his storytelling intimate enough to feel like you’ve been sitting in the café yourself, watching lives change one cup at a time.
Recommendation: This book is ideal for fans of reflective, character-driven narratives, lovers of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and readers seeking emotional warmth without sentimentality. It also works beautifully as a teaching text for courses in literature, psychology, and social-emotional learning, thanks to its emphasis on empathy and interpersonal connection.
Ultimately, Before We Forget Kindness reminds us that while the future is uncertain and the past unchangeable, the present is still brimming with chances to say the words, offer the gesture, or give the comfort that might mean the world to someone else.
And as Kawaguchi’s characters prove, it’s never too late to be kind — until the coffee goes cold.
