Before We Say Goodbye is the latest instalment in Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s internationally celebrated time-travel café series, translated from the Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot. Published originally in Japanese and later brought to the global audience in English, the book continues the quietly magical premise that captivated readers in Before the Coffee Gets Cold and its sequels.
Kawaguchi, born in Osaka in 1971, made his mark as a playwright with works like Couple, Sunset Song, and Family Time.
His theatre roots are evident in his novels — tightly constructed scenes, controlled pacing, and dialogue-heavy storytelling.
Before We Say Goodbye comfortably sits within contemporary Japanese magical realism, blending slice-of-life drama, light speculative fiction, and emotional introspection.
Like its predecessors, it revolves around a small, dimly lit café called Funiculi Funicula, where patrons can travel back in time under strict rules — most importantly, that the present cannot be changed, no matter what you do in the past.
While Japanese literature often dwells on impermanence (mono no aware) and fleeting beauty, Kawaguchi uses this premise to explore regret, memory, forgiveness, and the fragile connections between people. The book retains the series’ four-part structure, each section centring on a different visitor’s journey back to a moment they wish to revisit.
In Before We Say Goodbye, Kawaguchi refines his exploration of time, memory, and emotional closure. His narrative reminds us that while we cannot alter events, we can transform our perspective and relationships by confronting our past honestly.
The book’s significance lies in its ability to blend whimsical fantasy with deeply human truths, making it both accessible and profoundly resonant.
Table of Contents
1. Background
The Before the Coffee Gets Cold series has found a global audience because of its simple yet endlessly rich premise: what if you could go back in time, but only under unbendable constraints? Kawaguchi keeps the setting static — the same basement café with its ticking pendulum clocks, the ghostly woman in the white dress occupying the magical chair, and a set of recurring staff and regulars. This constancy allows readers to focus on the human drama.
In Before We Say Goodbye, the emotional stakes are higher. The stories deal not just with estranged lovers or unresolved family disputes, but with mortality, long-term regret, and the irreplaceable value of moments we didn’t realise were our last.
The five immutable rules of time travel in the café remain:
- You can only meet someone who has visited the café.
- No matter what you do, the present will not change.
- The ghostly woman always occupies the magic chair — you can only sit when she leaves.
- You must remain seated.
- You must drink the coffee before it gets cold — or you’ll be stuck there forever.
2. Summary of the Book
Kawaguchi divides the book into four interconnected stories: The Husband, The Farewell, The Proposal, and The Daughter.
i. The Husband
In Before We Say Goodbye, “The Husband” follows Professor Monji Kadokura, who visits Café Funiculi Funicula after learning it allows people to return to the past. While fascinated by the rule that the present cannot be changed, his real motive is to see his wife before she entered a vegetative state following an accident.
The café’s strict rules — remaining seated, only meeting those who have visited the café, and drinking the coffee before it cools — frame his journey.
In the past, Kadokura meets his family and faces a decision: reveal the accident or finally express his unspoken feelings. He chooses the latter, telling his wife that he was happy with her, a truth he never voiced. Returning to the present in Before We Say Goodbye, he finds her fate unchanged but his regret lifted.
This chapter blends the series’ signature warmth and melancholy, showing that while time travel cannot alter destiny, it can heal emotional wounds. The café becomes a place not for changing events, but for reclaiming the words and moments that matter most, fulfilling the heart of Before We Say Goodbye.
The Farewell
In Before We Say Goodbye, “The Farewell” tells the story of Mutsuo Hikita, a man mourning the recent loss of his beloved golden retriever, Apollo. For Mutsuo and his wife Sunao, who could not have children, Apollo was like their child. Sunao was by his side during his final days, but in the last moments, she accidentally fell asleep and missed saying goodbye.
This regret weighs heavily on her. Mutsuo learns of Café Funiculi Funicula’s rumored ability to send people back in time and considers the journey on his wife’s behalf. The café’s rules — remaining seated, meeting only those who have visited before, and drinking the coffee before it cools — are explained, along with the emotional risk of reliving such a parting. Eventually, Sunao visits the café herself, traveling to Apollo’s last day.
She cannot change what happened, but she cherishes the chance to be with him once more, offering comfort and love in those moments. Returning to the present, she feels lighter, knowing she honored their bond in the time she had.
In Before We Say Goodbye, this chapter captures the deep grief of losing a companion, the haunting nature of missed goodbyes, and the healing that comes not from altering fate, but from reclaiming the emotional truth of a farewell. It’s a gentle reminder that parting, though inevitable, can be made more bearable through presence and love.
The Proposal
In Before We Say Goodbye, “The Proposal” shifts to a young man determined to propose to the woman he loves, though fear of rejection makes him hesitant. Seeking clarity, he uses the café’s time-travel rule to revisit a moment in their shared history.
Bound by the unchanging-present rule, he must stay seated and finish his coffee before it cools. In the past, he witnesses subtleties in their interactions — missed glances, quiet reassurances — that reshape his understanding of their bond. This journey doesn’t let him alter her answer, but it allows him to see her feelings more clearly. Back in the present, he resolves to move forward, realizing love is worth risking vulnerability.
As with other tales in Before We Say Goodbye, the time spent in the café bridges memory and choice, showing that courage often comes not from changing outcomes, but from truly understanding them. The chapter captures the series’ gentle meditation on commitment, fear, and the beauty of decisive moments in love.
The Daughter
“The Daughter” in Before We Say Goodbye offers one of the series’ most poignant reflections on regret. A woman enters Café Funiculi Funicula burdened with the knowledge she never fully thanked her late mother. She chooses to travel back to a simple day they shared together.
Abiding by the rules, she refrains from altering the flow of events, instead savoring each moment — a smile, a shared bite of food — that once passed without notice. The small gestures become her silent way of saying what words could not.
Upon returning to the present, she carries the peace of knowing she honored her mother within the boundaries of the café’s time travel. This story distills the emotional truth at the core of Before We Say Goodbye: that closure often comes not from rewriting history, but from deeply inhabiting a fleeting moment. It is a tender reminder that even belated gratitude can change how we live forward, a theme woven through every tale in Before We Say Goodbye.
Narrative Flow
Though each chapter stands alone, Kawaguchi weaves them together with recurring characters, the ticking clocks, and the steady, patient presence of Nagare and Kazu. This interconnectedness creates a cumulative emotional weight, culminating in a meditation on how every goodbye — whether spoken or not — shapes our lives.
3. Analysis
3.1 Characters
- Monji Kadokura – A man driven by intellectual curiosity but emotionally absent from family life. His arc is a study in late-life awakening to the importance of expressing love.
- Mieko Kadokura – A quiet, accepting woman whose understated strength defines her marriage.
- Mutsuo & Sunao Hikita – A couple bound by shared grief over a pet; their story explores how love extends beyond human relationships.
- Nagare Tokita – The café’s grounding presence, pragmatic yet compassionate.
- Kazu Tokita – Calm, almost spectral, embodying the boundary between the living and the lost.
- The Woman in the White Dress (Kaname) – A tragic embodiment of the café’s rules, and a reminder of the irreversible cost of distraction in the past.
3.3 Themes and Symbolism
- Regret and Closure – The central thread; each character’s journey is about what they wish they’d said or done.
- Time’s Immutable Flow – The unchangeable present symbolises the inevitability of life’s forward movement.
- The Coffee – More than a drink, it’s a temporal tether; its cooling symbolises opportunity fading.
- The Café – A liminal space between worlds, where time is malleable but consequences are fixed.
Recommendation Audience: Perfect for readers who appreciate emotional, character-driven fiction, Japanese magical realism, or reflective narratives like Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library.
4. Evaluation
Strengths
- Deep emotional resonance without melodrama.
- Recurring setting builds intimacy and familiarity.
- Seamless blending of magical rules with human stories.
Weaknesses
- Repetition of the café rules across books may feel formulaic.
- The constraint of “no change to the present” can limit narrative surprise for returning readers.
Impact
For many, Before We Say Goodbye is not just a story but an emotional mirror, prompting reflection on unspoken words and unmade choices.
Comparison with Similar Works
Comparable to Haruki Murakami’s After Dark in atmospheric constancy and to Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven in emotional takeaway.
Reception and Criticism
Critics describe it as “heartwarming, quirky, and wistful” (HuffPost) and “deeply moving” (Chicago Review of Books).
5. Personal Insight with Contemporary Educational Relevance
In an age dominated by instant communication yet shallow connection, Before We Say Goodbye reminds us that face-to-face, heartfelt exchanges cannot be replaced by convenience. Studies in thanatology (the science of death and dying) show that unresolved goodbyes can have lasting mental health impacts. The novel’s lesson aligns with research: even if circumstances can’t be changed, closure matters.
6. Quotable Lines
- “I was happy in my life with you.” (p. 210)
- “Treat your mum well for the next six months so that there are no regrets.” (p. 217)
- “If you don’t drink it before it gets cold… you will turn into a ghost.” (p. 43)
7. Conclusion
Before We Say Goodbye is a gentle, haunting meditation on the human need for closure. Kawaguchi reminds us that while we cannot rewrite the past, we can rewrite the way we carry it. Recommended for fans of reflective, character-driven stories, it’s a novel best read slowly, like sipping coffee you wish would never cool.
