What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedBefore the Coffee Gets Cold
Toshikazu Kawaguchi · Book · 2019
If you loved Before the Coffee Gets Cold, start with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Mamoru Hosoda, 2006) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Before the Coffee Gets Cold across media.
If you loved Before the Coffee Gets Cold, you are likely drawn to how temporal shifts serve as poignant mirrors for human regret.
Films on the same thread
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Mamoru Hosoda · Film · 2006
Shares a thread with Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Regret.
Like Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this story explores the complicated emotional consequences of revisiting the past, illustrating that time travel is rarely a simple solution for personal longing.
Weathering with You
Film · 2019
Shares a thread with Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Magical Realism.
This film captures the same atmospheric melancholy found in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, grounding its supernatural elements in the quiet loneliness and personal growth of its young characters.
Lost in Translation
Sofia Coppola · Film · 2003
Explores: Cultural Isolation, Existential Crisis, Unconventional Relationships.
Much like the intimate café setting of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this film finds profound beauty in the transient connections formed between people during moments of existential transition.
Shoplifters
Hirokazu Kore-eda · Film · 2018
Explores: Chosen Family, Poverty, Child Neglect.
This film shares the deep empathy for human connection seen in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, focusing on the fragile, chosen families that form on the margins of Tokyo.
Series on the same thread
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo
Tong Hua · Series · 2016
Shares a thread with Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Time Travel.
If the historical displacement in Before the Coffee Gets Cold intrigued you, this series offers a similar exploration of identity and romance when one is removed from their own time.
Orange
Series · 2016
Shares a thread with Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Regret.
This series mirrors the central conflict of Before the Coffee Gets Cold by using time-based communication to address the heavy weight of regret and the desire for second chances.
Tokyo Revengers
Series · 2021
Shares 2 threads with Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Time Travel, Redemption.
This story echoes the desperate hope for redemption present in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, showing how the desire to rewrite history is often rooted in deep personal loss.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Series · 2023
Explores: Mortality, The Value of Time, Regret and Remembrance.
Fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold will appreciate this meditative look at memory and mortality, where the passage of time serves as a catalyst for reflection and healing.
Podcasts on the same thread
CounterClock
Audiochuck · Podcast · 2025
Explores: unsolved homicide, seeking justice, historical mystery.
This podcast shares the investigative spirit of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, treating the past as a place that must be revisited to find truth and emotional closure.
Jem's Coffee Shop
Podcast
Explores: personal anecdotes, lifestyle, casual conversation.
This podcast recreates the comforting, intimate atmosphere of the café in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, providing a dedicated space for reflection and casual, thoughtful human connection.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Before the Coffee Gets Cold a story about time travel?
Yes, Before the Coffee Gets Cold centers on a café in a Tokyo back alley where customers are offered the unique opportunity to travel back in time. This experience is tied to a specific seat within the shop and comes with strict rules that must be followed by the patrons.
What are the risks of time travel in Before the Coffee Gets Cold?
In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, the journey into the past carries significant risks. Customers must sit in a particular chair, they are prohibited from leaving the café at any point during their travel, and they are required to return to the present before their coffee gets cold.
How long has the café in Before the Coffee Gets Cold been operating?
The café featured in Before the Coffee Gets Cold has been serving carefully brewed coffee to its customers for more than one hundred years. It is located in a small back alley in Tokyo and provides the setting for the time travel experiences described in the book.
Can customers leave the café during their trip in Before the Coffee Gets Cold?
No, customers who choose to travel back in time in Before the Coffee Gets Cold cannot leave the café during their journey. They are restricted to a specific seat and must return to the present before their coffee gets cold to complete the experience safely.