2024 University of Tokyo Summer School Report
Patrick Zhou
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”
–– Saint Augustine
As I was sitting on a plane taking off from Narita Airport, grinning at the pictures and videos taken during the University of Tokyo Summer School, it all felt like a dream –– and one that I wish to relive over and over again among my most cherished memories. The Summer School was many things to me –– it was an enjoyable journey, a fascinating intellectual discourse, and a place that nurtured invaluable friendships with people from all over the world.
Thanks to its meticulous planning, the entire experience of the Summer School was completely worry-free. The comfortable accommodation with a stunning view, the delicious Japanese cuisine, the intermediate transportation, and everything else needed for a relaxing trip were all arranged for. All I needed to do was to buy the plane tickets to and from Tokyo.
The Summer School was also a fascinating and rigorous intellectual discourse. The University of Tokyo gathered some of the brightest legal minds in Competition Law from diverse jurisdictions, including Japan, the US, China, and the EU. We had a rare opportunity to gain a comparative perspective on Competition Law for all these jurisdictions with considerable depth. We also had some intellectually stimulating discussions and mock negotiations in class, making friends in the process. Coincidentally, on the last days of the Summer School, a US District Court released a landmark judgment that Google is a monopoly on search. We were able to understand the details of the judgment and see what we learned coming into life.
Finally, I nurtured invaluable friendships during the Summer School with people from all over the world. We shared each others’ stories and delved into each others’ cultures in late-night chats. The University of Tokyo students also very kindly brought us to Atami’s traditional Firework Festival, where we enjoyed an absolute spectacle. Our friendships did not end there. Two friends from Summer School had visited me in Singapore with more to come. Moreover, at the time of writing this report, I just returned from another trip to Tokyo where all my friends from the University of Tokyo very kindly hosted me.
Personally, I have enjoyed my time in Summer School so much that I would not hesitate to experience it all over again. With an open and curious mind, I hope you will enjoy the University of Tokyo’s Summer School programme as well.