Spoiler warning: this post explains the full ending of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. If you have not finished the book, stop here and come back later.
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Quick answer: In a small Tokyo café where customers can travel back in time as long as they return before their coffee gets cold, the café owner's wife, Kei, who is pregnant and has a heart condition, travels forward to meet her future daughter. She learns that the child, Miki, will be born and grow up happy, and she decides to have the baby even though it may cost her life.
Quick facts
– Book: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
– First published: 2015
– Type: A Japanese novel
– Tone of the ending: Gentle and moving
Table of Contents
What Leads Up to the Ending
The café Funiculi Funicula lets people time travel, with strict rules: you can't change the present, and you must drink the coffee before it cools. Four stories follow customers: a woman who wants to talk to her ex, a nurse whose husband has Alzheimer's, a woman whose sister died and Kei.
What Happens at the End of Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Kei, who has a weak heart, learns that she is pregnant and that childbirth could kill her. Unsure whether to continue, she decides to travel years forward in time to see whether her child will exist. Her husband Nagare and the waitress Kazu help, though forward travel is risky. In the future café, Kei meets a girl who calls herself Miki and who, Kei realizes, is her daughter. Miki is happy and cheerful and wants her mother to know she is fine. Kei understands that she probably will not live long after the birth, but she sees that her daughter will be loved. Before the coffee cools, she returns to the present, determined to have the baby. The book suggests that time travel cannot change events, but it can change the hearts of the people living through them.
The Ending in 4 Quick Points
- Kei meets her daughter.
- She chooses to have the baby.
- The present can't change.
- Hope remains.
What Happens to the Main Characters
| Character | What happens to them |
|---|---|
| Kei Tokita | Meets her daughter |
| Nagare Tokita | Kei's husband |
| Miki | Kei's daughter |
| Kazu Tokita | The waitress who pours the coffee |
What the Ending Means
The ending shows that time travel can't change the past, but it can change how people feel.
Other Ways to Read the Ending
Readers find the stories gentle and comforting, and many say Kei's chapter is the most emotional. The book began as a stage play, which is why most scenes take place in one room.
Themes the Ending Brings Together
Time. The rules of time.
Love. Love across time.
Choice. Kei's choice.
Is the Ending Happy or Sad?
Most readers describe the ending of Before the Coffee Gets Cold as gentle and moving. How you feel about it usually depends on what you hoped for the characters and what you expected Toshikazu Kawaguchi to do with the story, so it is worth asking friends how they felt before you compare notes.
Who Will Like This Ending
Readers who enjoy endings that are gentle and moving will find a lot to talk about here. If you prefer every thread tied up neatly, it helps to know in advance how Toshikazu Kawaguchi closes the story, which is exactly why many readers look it up. Either way, the final chapters reward a second look once you know where everything is heading, because small details from the middle of the book start to matter. If you are reading with a group, agree beforehand whether everyone has finished, so nobody has the last chapters spoiled.
Discussion Questions About the Ending
If you are reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold with a book club or a friend, these questions work well once everyone has finished:
- Did the ending surprise you, or had you seen it coming from the first chapters?
- What does the final scene say about time, and do you agree with Toshikazu Kawaguchi's view?
- Which character made the most important choice in the last part of the book, and was it the right one?
- How would the story feel if it had ended one chapter earlier or one chapter later?
- Does the ending leave you hopeful about the characters, or do you worry about what comes next?
- Would you describe the ending as gentle and moving, or would you choose a different word?
How to Read the Final Chapters Again
- Compare the opening with the close. Look at how the first chapter introduces time and how the ending answers it.
- Track each final choice. The table above shows where every main character ends up, so ask which of those outcomes was earned.
- Notice what Toshikazu Kawaguchi leaves unsaid. Gaps in the last pages are often deliberate, and they are where most of the debate about the ending begins.
- Listen for echoes. Images, phrases or settings from earlier in Before the Coffee Gets Cold often return in the final scene with a new meaning.
Questions to Ask Yourself After Finishing
- Was the ending of Before the Coffee Gets Cold earned by what came before it, or did it feel sudden?
- Which character's final moment affected you most, and why?
- If you could change one thing about the last chapters, what would it be?
- Did the ending change how you think about the opening pages?
Check price of Before the Coffee Gets Cold on Amazon
Books to Read After Before the Coffee Gets Cold
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
Related: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi: Summary and Key Takeaways · 15 Books Like Before the Coffee Gets Cold You’ll Love: Cozy Time Travel and Gentle Magic
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens at the end of Before the Coffee Gets Cold?
In a small Tokyo café where customers can travel back in time as long as they return before their coffee gets cold, the café owner's wife, Kei, who is pregnant and has a heart condition, travels forward to meet her future daughter. She learns that the child, Miki, will be born and grow up happy, and she decides to have the baby even though it may cost her life.
Is the ending of Before the Coffee Gets Cold happy or sad?
Most readers call it gentle and moving.
What does the ending of Before the Coffee Gets Cold mean?
The ending shows that time travel can't change the past, but it can change how people feel.
Who wrote Before the Coffee Gets Cold and when was it published?
Before the Coffee Gets Cold was written by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and first published in 2015.
Is Before the Coffee Gets Cold worth reading if I already know the ending?
Yes, especially if you enjoy Japanese novels. Knowing the ending can make a first read richer, because you notice how Toshikazu Kawaguchi prepares for it from the opening chapters.
Should I read Before the Coffee Gets Cold before reading the ending explained?
Yes, if you plan to read it, because this post gives away the whole ending.