Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Mistress of the coffee-pouring ceremony, Kazu is a part-time waitress at café Funiculi Funicula while attending Tokyo University of the Arts. She is pretty, but “if you glanced at [her face], closed your eyes and then tried to remember what you saw, nothing would come to mind” (8). The difficulty of memorizing her face contributes to her enigmatic aura, as does her nonchalant attitude and her irreverence towards relationships, which she finds “tedious” (8). Kazu acts as an arbiter of The Constraints of Time Travel, as she is seldom moved by people’s reasons for wanting to return to the past and holds fast to the rules of the café, sometimes without deigning to explain them.

Kazu, much like the café itself, is a timeless blend of tradition and modernity. She has the indifference of a surly teenager while waitressing, but she comes to life in the ceremonial coffee pouring, where she emulates a temple priestess with her “ballerina-like motions,” which are “efficient and beautiful” (88). Her stoic, exquisite control contrasts with (and helps contain) the chrononauts’ messy experiences and emotions. Kazu expresses satisfaction when the time travelers learn important lessons. Her thoughts also close out the book; in the final pages, she believes that time travel is meant to give people the strength and heart to overcome their difficulties.