Akihiro Matsui

Akihiro Matsui

VETERINARIAN

Dr Akihiro has always been interested in animals, wildlife and nature which brought him from Japan to Australia as a young 12-year-old. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Adelaide in 2015 and went on to spend 7 years working in a small animal practice in Cairns. Up in the far north, there is limited access to referrals which meant having to work on pretty much everything that came through the door which has added to and further enhanced his veterinary experience.

He relocated to Sydney in 2023 seeking an environment which offers modern, gold-standard urban veterinary medicine. He enjoys soft tissue surgeries and medical work-up cases, as well as shelter and wildlife medicine.

Dr Akihiro admits to missing his rural lifestyle, so he enjoys spending his leisure time camping and photo-shooting wildlife in national parks, mountains and in the outback.

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Biologist in general

What’s your idea of a perfect long weekend getaway?

Visiting national parks and mountains, inland – chasing up wildlife and birds taking photos

Which language(s) do you speak?

Fluent English & fluent Japanese

Are you a pet owner? What do you have?

2 rescue cats names Taiga and Yamato. 3 pythons (snakes)

What’s your favourite season and why?

Spring & autumn – not too hot, not too cold!

What is your favourite food of all time?

Japanese – never goes wrong with fresh sashimi and sushi

How do you like to relax and unwind after your workday?

Cuddle cats and video/photo editing

If you could have dinner with anybody in the world from across history, who would it be and why?

Charles Darwin – interested to see his reaction and hear his thoughts after sharing current scientific knowledge.

Alive or passed—and money no issue—which musician would you love to see perform live?

Hmm rather offer the opportunity to someone else, not interested in music in general.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

Time travelling – can utilise in every aspect of other superpowers I believe. What is your proudest achievement? Tolerating a whole 14 months of not understanding any English until the brain finally getting around the new language when I was 12 years old.