Author guide

Toshikazu Kawaguchi Books in Order

Toshikazu Kawaguchi was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He has worked as a playwright, producer, and director, including with the theatrical group Sonic Snail, and leads 1110 Productions. His play Before the Coffee Gets Cold won the Grand Prize at the 10th Suginami Drama Festival; its novel adaptation was nominated for the 2017 Bookseller's Award. He is the author of six novels in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series.

literary fictionmagical realismcontemporary Japanese fictiondrama

Catalog record updated August 25, 2026.

Toshikazu Kawaguchi's Newest Book

Before I Knew I Loved You

novel · First published 2024

The sixth book in the multi-million-copy bestselling series about a cosy Japanese cafe that offers its visitors the chance to travel back in time. In a special seat in a fabled Tokyo cafe, you're offered something irresistible - not just a warm, comforting coffee, but the chance to go back in time to revisit the ones you love . . . In Before I knew I loved you, Toshikazu Kawaguchi takes us back to the warm heart of the mysterious Funiculi Funicula Cafe, with another four guests whose luminous stories of love, lost and won again, will reaffirm your belief in its eternal potential. In this book, we meet: - The girl who couldn't call her mother, and yearns to reconnect with her - The man who waited for a reply from his girlfriend, and never heard from her - The woman anxious to travel ahead to know what her future holds - The student who travels back to meet his father again, who passed away many years before. Yet the same rules always apply - you must return before the coffee gets cold. And while it does, memories are revisited, people are changed for ever, and the enduring power of love transcends the boundaries of time. The sixth book in the phenomenal, bestselling series, translated from Japanese, Before I knew I loved you asks the irresistible question: what would you do if you were offered the chance to go back in time?

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Before the Coffee Gets Cold

The first novel in the series and the foundation for its setting, premise, characters, and rules.

Read in order

Books by series

novel series · ongoing

Before the Coffee Gets Cold

A linked series of novels centered on a café where visitors can briefly travel through time under strict rules.

Series guide →

1
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Book 1 · novel · 2015

If you could go back, who would you want to meet? In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else…
2
Tales from the Cafe
Book 2 · novel · 2017

If you could go back in time, who would you want to meet? In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something…
3
Before Your Memory Fades
Book 3 · novel · 2018

Coming soon! Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi will be available Oct 11, 2022.
4
Before We Say Goodbye
Book 4 · novel · 2021

The fourth novel in the internationally bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series The regulars at the magical Café Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with its famous legend and extraordinary time-travel offer. Many patrons have…
5
Before We Forget Kindness
Book 5 · novel · 2023

In the fifth book in the sensational, cozy Before the Coffee Gets Cold series translated from Japanese, the mysterious café where customers arrive hoping to travel back in time welcomes four new guests: - The father who could not allow…
6
Before I Knew I Loved You
Book 6 · novel · 2024

The sixth book in the multi-million-copy bestselling series about a cosy Japanese cafe that offers its visitors the chance to travel back in time. In a special seat in a fabled Tokyo cafe, you're offered something irresistible - not just…

Outside the series

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Frequently asked questions about Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Who is Toshikazu Kawaguchi?

Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a Japanese novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director. He was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971.

Sources: panmacmillan.com (opens in a new tab)bernama.com (opens in a new tab)

What did Toshikazu Kawaguchi do before becoming a novelist?

He worked in theatre as a writer, producer, and director, including with the theatrical group Sonic Snail. His stage experience became the foundation for his later fiction.

Sources: panmacmillan.com (opens in a new tab)umsu.unimelb.edu.au (opens in a new tab)

How did Toshikazu Kawaguchi become a novelist?

An editor who saw his stage production encouraged him to rework it as a novel. This led to the novel adaptation of his play Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

Sources: bernama.com (opens in a new tab)panmacmillan.com (opens in a new tab)

What influenced Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s career and storytelling?

A classmate influenced him to dream of becoming a manga artist, and he later studied manga and filmmaking before continuing in theatre. He has said that he aims to write about ordinary people, everyday life, and human relationships.

Source: bernama.com (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Toshikazu Kawaguchi won, and what is he known for?

His stage version of Before the Coffee Gets Cold won the Grand Prize at the 10th Suginami Drama Festival. He is internationally known for carrying a theatre-born story into fiction that has reached readers around the world.

Sources: panmacmillan.com (opens in a new tab)bernama.com (opens in a new tab)