Toshikazu Kawaguchi (born 1971) is a Japanese novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and director from Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture. After writing and directing for the theater, he won the grand prize at the 10th Suginami Drama Festival for the stage play "Before the Coffee Gets Cold." He adapted the play into his debut novel, published in 2015; the book was nominated for the 2017 Japan Booksellers’ Award and adapted into a Japanese film in 2018. Set in the Tokyo café Funiculi Funicula, "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" follows visitors who can return to a moment in their past by sitting in a particular seat. They cannot change the present and must return before their coffee grows cold, leaving lovers and family members only a brief opportunity to confront farewells and speak words they once left unsaid.
