Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi | Japanese Fiction Series, Emotional Time Travel Story, BookTok Favorite

Genre: Magical Realism, Contemporary Fiction, Japanese Literature

Description:
In Before Your Memory Fades, the third book in Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beloved Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, the story shifts to a new location Hakodate, a small seaside café that also offers the chance to travel through time. As with the original café, the rules remain strict: the traveler must remain in a specific seat and return before the coffee gets cold. This installment shares four touching stories: a daughter wishing to reunite with her mother, a man seeking to resolve a family rift, a woman hoping to see her best friend again, and a retired teacher revisiting a student. Kawaguchi continues his signature style of blending tender moments with gentle wisdom, revealing that while we cannot change the past, we can often change ourselves. With poetic simplicity and emotional depth, Before Your Memory Fades captures the quiet magic of everyday life and the enduring power of love, regret, and reconciliation.