{"id":2649,"date":"2025-12-31T09:32:53","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T19:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/?p=2649"},"modified":"2025-12-31T09:33:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T19:33:18","slug":"living-the-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Living The Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Photo by Lawrence Tabudlo<\/p><\/div>\n

T<\/span>here doesn\u2019t seem to be anything that can distract Kansei Matsuzawa \u2014 even temporarily \u2014 from his dream.<\/span><\/p>\n

Except maybe YouTube.<\/span><\/p>\n

And, specifically, Japanese sketch comedy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love Japanese comedy,\u201d says the usually hyperfocused placekicker for the University of Hawai\u02bbi Rainbow Warriors football team. \u201cIt helps me to get away from football.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Apparently, even the most dedicated players need an escape at times, and in YouTube, the Tokyo-born Matsuzawa has found welcome relief through a bit of homegrown, late-night laughter. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I talk too much English and I have headache every night. So the Japanese shows help me,\u201d he admits.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent years, YouTube has been an especially good friend to him. It\u2019s where he learned how to cut his own hair in order to save money for college. It\u2019s also where he went to improve his grasp of the English language.<\/span><\/p>\n

But most importantly, the online platform is where he first sourced videos about how to kick the pigskin.<\/span><\/p>\n

And what a kicker he\u2019s turned out to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

This season has been a record-setting one for the soon-to-turn-27-year-old player nicknamed \u201cTokyo Toe.\u201d (His birthday is Jan. 8.) <\/span><\/p>\n

Entering this week\u2019s Sheraton Hawai\u02bbi Bowl \u2014 a Christmas Eve showdown between the UH Rainbow Warriors and the California Golden Bears at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in M\u0101noa \u2014 Matsuzawa has been college football\u2019s most reliable and accurate kicker, converting a staggering 96% of his field goals (25 of 26) and all 33 of his extra points. Along the way, he matched a Football Bowl Subdivision record with 25-straight field goals, with his only miss coming on a 30-yard attempt against Wyoming on Nov. 29. He also nailed 100% of his kicks from more than 40 yards (11-for-11), which tied him for seventh-best nationally.<\/span><\/p>\n

By eliminating distractions and training his mind to have a laser-like focus, Matsuzawa has made booting the ball through the uprights almost automatic. He attributes this uncanny ability to following a daily routine that includes visualization techniques and positive affirmations learned from sports psychologists at the university.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not easy to put yourself into this situation every time,\u201d he says of his kicking duties. \u201cYou need to follow your routine every time. To prepare for the game, basically I\u2019m going to do the same thing every day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Repetition off the field has led to consistent results on the field and, consequently, the accolades have flowed his way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last week, Matsuzawa scooped up his latest award after being named to the 2025 Associated Press All-America first team. It\u2019s a prestigious honor, and marks only the second time in\u00a0nearly\u00a040 years that a Rainbow Warrior has received such a distinction. (Al Noga was the first to do so in 1986.) The award also comes on the heels of Matsuzawa being named to three other\u00a0All-American first teams: American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Football Foundation and CBS Sports.<\/span><\/p>\n

He calls his first-team\u00a0selections\u00a0\u201can honor for myself, my family and (in) representing the state of Hawai\u02bbi.\u201d But while appreciative of the recognition, Matsuzawa adds that personal\u00a0accolades are not why he plays the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never chase honors. I just like to live day by day \u2014 just focus on my kicks, one at a time,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

These days, his attention is squarely on the Golden Bears. Playing in a bowl game \u201cwas one of my goals before the season,\u201d says the kicker, and should the contest come down to his leg, he\u2019ll gladly let his gifted toe do the talking.<\/span><\/p>\n

That means that even if the game\u2019s outcome is riding on a long field goal attempt, Matsuzawa \u2014 whose farthest successful kick came from 52 yards out earlier this season \u2014 believes he\u2019ll make it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, of course,\u201d says the strapping 6-foot-2, 200-pound kicker, oozing with confidence. \u201cI\u2019m not worried about distance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nor is he worried about his future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Matsuzawa could technically apply for another year of NCAA eligibility, but he is expected to declare for the\u00a0NFL Draft in the coming weeks. Should he choose to go this route, it would be yet another example of his ability to stay the course and not be distracted from his objective.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c(The) NFL is always my dream,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause of the NFL, it\u2019s the reason why I started playing football.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

M<\/span>atsuzawa\u2019s pathway to American football began in 2018 with a trip to the United States, where the then 19-year-old attended his first NFL game in the Bay Area. There, the raucous atmosphere at Oakland Coliseum made an indelible impression on him. When he returned to Tokyo, he realized he was seriously intrigued by the gridiron sport.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time, Matsuzawa needed something to be interested in. He had been in a funk and was struggling for direction in his life. Much of his youth was spent on soccer fields and he had high hopes of playing the sport professionally, thanks in part to the athletic genes inherited from his parents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad used to play baseball and a little bit of American football in Japan,\u201d Matsuzawa says. \u201cAnd my mom was really athletic. She did a lot \u2014 like swimming, baseball, volleyball. So, my athletic ability comes from both sides.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet after starring as a striker at Makuhari Sogo High School in Chiba, he whiffed on his college entrance exams and that meant, in part, no more soccer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I left my country (for the U.S. trip), I kind of felt angry because I couldn\u2019t do anything else for myself,\u201d Matsuzawa says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which is why the brief sojourn on the West Coast was so important to him. If anything, the Land of Opportunity not only rekindled his fire for competitive sports, but redirected his attention to a viable new alternative: American football.<\/span><\/p>\n

And that was all the inspiration he needed to return to the U.S. and, as he puts it, \u201cmake an accomplishment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, there were immediate obstacles. <\/span><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t speak English. He also didn\u2019t possess the financial means to pay for an American college education. And finally, few college programs were willing to give a roster spot \u2014 let alone a scholarship \u2014 to a foreign student with no football experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Matsuzawa was undeterred. Almost immediately, he began working at Morton\u2019s Steakhouse in Japan and, for the next three years, saved his money. He also started watching YouTube videos of professional kickers and began mimicking their steps, foot placement and follow-through. Later, he started sending videos of his growing kicking prowess to stateside junior colleges, hoping for a nibble.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, Hocking College in Ohio bit and offered him a chance to walk on. During his second season there, Matsuzawa converted 71% of his field goal attempts (12 of 17) and 94% of his point-after attempts (16 of 17). <\/span><\/p>\n

Yet even after earning his associate\u2019s degree at the junior college and participating in a number of kicking camps elsewhere to increase his exposure with Division I schools, no college offers came his way. With his savings just about gone, he caught a flight back to Tokyo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Matsuzawa\u2019s dream appeared to have come to an abrupt end.<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he kicker loves his surname, so much so that he debuted it, in kanji, on the nameplate of his UH Rainbow Warrior jersey earlier this season.<\/p>\n

He also loves his first name, which he says translates to \u201ckindness and honesty\u201d in English.<\/span><\/p>\n

Matsuzawa\u2019s life, though, could best be described as focused, determined and persistent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those same meanings and characteristics are also a reflection of his parents, who helped shoulder their son\u2019s financial burden to the point of moving into a smaller home just so they could send extra money his way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy family sacrificed a lot for me. I was supposed to go to college in Japan and just kind of have some job. But all of a sudden, I told them, \u2018I\u2019m going to the U.S. and if I don\u2019t get a scholarship, I\u2019ll need an estimated $100,000 to graduate,\u201d Matsuzawa recalls. \u201cMy mom told me, \u2018Money is the easiest thing to handle. If we need money, we can borrow from somebody.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause my family supports me,\u201d he adds, \u201cI was able to do something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That something continues today at UH-M\u0101noa, and much of the credit for Matsuzawa even being in the islands and keeping his dream alive belongs to special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2023, the Rainbow Warriors were looking to add another kicker to its roster and Sheffield began scouring sites for available players. When he saw Matsuzawa on film, he became intrigued.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just saw something special in him,\u201d recalls Sheffield. \u201cAnd one thing I learned from head coach Timmy Chang more than anything is to follow your gut. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd my gut told me that Kansei could be a really good kicker at this level.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond Matsuzawa\u2019s natural leg talent, Sheffield was inspired by the kicker\u2019s unyielding pursuit of his goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHis story just resonated with me,\u201d the coach says. \u201cIf he could overcome all the obstacles that were thrown at him as he created this giant dream for himself, I just thought he could navigate kicking in front of thousands and thousands of people and the pressure would never be too big for him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean Kansei sees a problem, but instead of running from it, he goes and attacks it,\u201d Sheffield adds. \u201cI think that\u2019s really cool.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although UH couldn\u2019t offer him any financial relief, Matsuzawa still chose to walk on. At the conclusion of last season, his faith in the Rainbow Warriors\u2019 program, coupled with his onfield production (he converted 75% of his field goals and all 32 of his extra points in 2024), were rewarded with a scholarship. When Chang delivered the news in his office, Matsuzawa broke down and cried.<\/span><\/p>\n

The tears, however, didn\u2019t last long. Soon, he was back in focus, going through a list of daily positive affirmations like \u201cjust smile,\u201d \u201chelp each other\u201d and \u201cwhatever happens, just don\u2019t be affected (negatively).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In Kansei Matsuzawa\u2019s world, there\u2019s no time to lose sight of the destination. After all, life as a professional placekicker awaits. His dream lives on.<\/span><\/p>\n

As he says, \u201cI\u2019m going to just focus on my job and keep making field goals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There doesn\u2019t seem to be anything that can distract Kansei Matsuzawa \u2014 even temporarily \u2014 from his dream. Except maybe..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2650,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-story"],"yoast_head":"\nLiving The Dream - Hawaii Island MidWeek<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Living The Dream - Hawaii Island MidWeek\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There doesn\u2019t seem to be anything that can distract Kansei Matsuzawa \u2014 even temporarily \u2014 from his dream. Except maybe..\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hawaii Island MidWeek\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-31T19:32:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-31T19:33:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mwo_inset_kansei-matsuzawa_1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"gokailuamagazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"gokailuamagazine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"gokailuamagazine\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d466549467cb8d8ad10660a518490a0f\"},\"headline\":\"Living The Dream\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-31T19:32:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-31T19:33:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1725,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/13\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/mwo_inset_kansei-matsuzawa_1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"MW Cover Story\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/\",\"name\":\"Living The Dream - Hawaii Island MidWeek\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/13\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/mwo_inset_kansei-matsuzawa_1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-31T19:32:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-31T19:33:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d466549467cb8d8ad10660a518490a0f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/13\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/mwo_inset_kansei-matsuzawa_1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/13\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/mwo_inset_kansei-matsuzawa_1.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Photo by Lawrence Tabudlo\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/living-the-dream\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Living The Dream\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/\",\"name\":\"Hawaii Island MidWeek\",\"description\":\"Hawaii's Favorite Newspaper\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d466549467cb8d8ad10660a518490a0f\",\"name\":\"gokailuamagazine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3c11f5534b2988bc489987616a4d6545c2e945efe004e5e512e8ed4606afb42b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3c11f5534b2988bc489987616a4d6545c2e945efe004e5e512e8ed4606afb42b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3c11f5534b2988bc489987616a4d6545c2e945efe004e5e512e8ed4606afb42b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"gokailuamagazine\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\\\/midweekhawaii\\\/author\\\/gokailuamagazine\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Living The Dream - Hawaii Island MidWeek","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Living The Dream - Hawaii Island MidWeek","og_description":"There doesn\u2019t seem to be anything that can distract Kansei Matsuzawa \u2014 even temporarily \u2014 from his dream. Except maybe..","og_url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/","og_site_name":"Hawaii Island MidWeek","article_published_time":"2025-12-31T19:32:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-31T19:33:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":720,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mwo_inset_kansei-matsuzawa_1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"gokailuamagazine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"gokailuamagazine","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/"},"author":{"name":"gokailuamagazine","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/#\/schema\/person\/d466549467cb8d8ad10660a518490a0f"},"headline":"Living The Dream","datePublished":"2025-12-31T19:32:53+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-31T19:33:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/"},"wordCount":1725,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/12\/mwo_inset_kansei-matsuzawa_1.jpg","articleSection":["MW Cover Story"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/","url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/","name":"Living The Dream - Hawaii Island MidWeek","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/12\/mwo_inset_kansei-matsuzawa_1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-31T19:32:53+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-31T19:33:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/#\/schema\/person\/d466549467cb8d8ad10660a518490a0f"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/12\/mwo_inset_kansei-matsuzawa_1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/12\/mwo_inset_kansei-matsuzawa_1.jpg","width":720,"height":900,"caption":"Photo by Lawrence Tabudlo"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/living-the-dream\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Living The Dream"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/","name":"Hawaii Island MidWeek","description":"Hawaii's Favorite Newspaper","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/#\/schema\/person\/d466549467cb8d8ad10660a518490a0f","name":"gokailuamagazine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3c11f5534b2988bc489987616a4d6545c2e945efe004e5e512e8ed4606afb42b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3c11f5534b2988bc489987616a4d6545c2e945efe004e5e512e8ed4606afb42b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3c11f5534b2988bc489987616a4d6545c2e945efe004e5e512e8ed4606afb42b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"gokailuamagazine"},"url":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/author\/gokailuamagazine\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}