Trees of the Month (September 2026)

Preface

September is here. How is everyone doing?

In the United States, Labor Day always seems to mark the unofficial end of summer.

There are still plenty of hot days, but schools are back in full swing, Halloween merchandise is starting to take over store shelves, and little by little, it is beginning to feel like fall.

Every year around this time, I find myself thinking:

“Wait… there are only four months left in the year?”

It always creates a little sense of urgency.

At the same time, September is actually a great opportunity to review your finances, your goals, and your plans for the rest of the year.

Inflation and interest rates continue to be major topics in the United States in 2026, while the weak yen remains an important issue for people with financial ties to Japan.

And here in New York, the US Open is underway. As someone who loves tennis, this is always one of my favorite times of the year for sports news.

So once again, I have collected some of the stories that caught my attention this month—from immigration and interest rates to hidden gold, tennis legends, extreme skydiving, humanoid robots, personal finance, and even an app that could help make grocery shopping a little cheaper.

Let’s take a look at my Stories That Caught My Eye for September 2026.

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News

The U.S. Government Has Proposed an Extraordinary New Charge! 3,265 H-1B Fee?

One of the most surprising immigration stories last month involved the H-1B visa program.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security proposed an additional $103,265 fee for certain new cap-subject H-1B petitions.

At an exchange rate of ¥150 to $1, that would be roughly ¥15.5 million.

And there is an important distinction here.

This does not mean that the total cost of obtaining an H-1B would simply become $103,265.

The proposed $103,265 would be an additional fee, separate from existing USCIS filing fees and other applicable H-1B costs.

From an employer’s perspective, that could mean paying the normal costs associated with an H-1B petition plus another $103,265.

That would represent an extraordinary increase in the cost of sponsoring certain foreign workers.

What Is an H-1B Visa?

The H-1B is one of the best-known U.S. work visa classifications for foreign professionals working in specialty occupations.

It is commonly used for positions such as:

• Software engineers
• Data scientists
• Accountants
• Financial analysts
• Engineers
• Researchers

These are generally jobs requiring specialized knowledge and, typically, at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent.

The H-1B is particularly important in the technology sector.

A common career path for an international student might look something like this:

Graduate from a U.S. university

↓

Work in the United States under OPT

↓

Receive H-1B sponsorship from an employer

↓

Potentially pursue a Green Card later

For many international students, H-1B sponsorship has therefore been an important bridge between studying in America and building a long-term career here.

The Proposed 3,265 Fee Would Not Apply to Every H-1B

This is probably the most important point to understand.

The proposed additional $103,265 fee is aimed at cap-subject H-1B petitions.

The regular H-1B cap generally consists of 65,000 visas, plus an additional 20,000 spots under the advanced-degree exemption for qualifying individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher.

That creates the familiar total of 85,000.

The proposal targets petitions within this cap-subject system.

Certain employers, however, can be exempt from the H-1B cap, including qualifying universities, nonprofit research organizations, and governmental research organizations.

Under the proposal, qualifying cap-exempt petitions would not be subject to the same $103,265 charge.

So this is not a situation in which every person currently working on an H-1B would suddenly have to pay more than $100,000.

What About H-1B Extensions?

This is another important distinction.

The proposed fee is directed at cap-subject petitions rather than every H-1B filing.

As a result, an ordinary extension for someone who has already been counted against the H-1B cap—or a change of employer involving a worker who has already been counted—should not automatically be treated the same way as a new cap-subject petition.

If you only read a headline saying “H-1B fee could exceed $100,000,” it would be easy to assume that every H-1B renewal would suddenly cost that much.

The proposed rule is not that broad.

Why Exactly 3,265?

The oddly specific amount raises an obvious question: Why $103,265?

According to DHS’s explanation, the proposed fee would not simply cover the cost of adjudicating an individual H-1B petition.

Instead, it is designed to recover part of the broader cost of the federal government’s lawful immigration system.

That includes areas such as:

• USCIS immigration-benefit adjudication
• Fraud detection
• National-security vetting
• Immigration-system modernization
• Immigration courts
• Consular visa processing
• Labor-standards enforcement
• Coordination among federal agencies

If the government collected $103,265 on 85,000 cap-subject petitions, the annual revenue would be approximately $8.8 billion.

At that scale, the proposal begins to look less like an ordinary visa-processing fee and more like a significant funding mechanism for the broader immigration system.

Is an H-1B Worker Worth More Than 0,000 to an Employer?

One of the most interesting aspects of the proposal is the economic reasoning behind the amount.

DHS cited analysis suggesting that employers may still be willing to pay a one-time fee exceeding $100,000 when the economic value of hiring an H-1B worker is sufficiently high.

The Federal Register discussion refers to research examining factors such as wage differences between H-1B workers and comparable U.S. workers and considers whether demand for H-1Bs could remain at or above the annual cap even with a fee exceeding $100,000.

In other words, the government does not appear to assume that a six-figure fee would eliminate employer demand for H-1B workers.

That is a remarkably aggressive assumption.

Would Employers Actually Pay It?

This is where things become especially interesting.

Consider a major technology company hiring a software engineer.

An employee earning $200,000 per year, plus stock compensation, bonuses, benefits, and payroll costs, can already represent an annual expense of several hundred thousand dollars.

For a truly exceptional employee, some companies might decide that an additional $100,000 immigration cost is still worth paying.

But not every H-1B worker is a highly compensated Silicon Valley engineer.

Accountants, engineers, entry-level technology professionals, researchers, and employees at smaller companies may earn salaries closer to $80,000 to $120,000.

Paying an additional $103,265 upfront just to sponsor the worker would be a completely different proposition.

Could H-1Bs Become Primarily a Big-Tech Visa?

If a fee of this magnitude ultimately becomes effective, it could change the types of employers willing or able to use the H-1B program.

Huge technology companies may be able to absorb a six-figure sponsorship cost when competing for highly valuable talent.

A small accounting firm, startup, local engineering company, or smaller technology business faces a very different calculation.

Even if a small employer finds an excellent foreign candidate, a six-figure immigration fee could make sponsorship economically unrealistic.

That could gradually shift H-1B sponsorship toward larger corporations with much deeper pockets.

And that would affect not only foreign workers, but smaller U.S. businesses competing for specialized talent.

Why This Matters to Japanese Professionals Too

H-1Bs are sometimes associated primarily with Indian technology professionals because Indian nationals represent a large portion of H-1B beneficiaries.

But the program matters to Japanese professionals as well.

For example:

Study at a U.S. university

↓

Find a job under OPT

↓

Receive H-1B sponsorship from a U.S. employer

Japanese professionals may also join U.S. accounting firms, consulting firms, financial institutions, engineering companies, and technology companies directly.

If visa sponsorship suddenly costs an employer more than $100,000, some companies may simply decide:

“Why sponsor a foreign employee when we can hire a U.S. citizen or Green Card holder instead?”

That means the impact could extend beyond people currently seeking H-1Bs.

It could affect Japanese students who are only now considering studying and eventually working in the United States.

This Is Separate From the 2025 0,000 H-1B Measure

There is another complication.

In 2025, the Trump administration introduced a separate measure requiring a $100,000 payment in connection with certain H-1B cases.

That measure has faced litigation, including a federal court ruling in Massachusetts in June 2026 concerning the government guidance.

The newly proposed $103,265 fee is a separate measure.

The government itself distinguishes the proposed fee in the Federal Register from the $100,000 payment associated with the 2025 presidential action.

The earlier $100,000 measure was also scheduled to expire on September 21, 2026, unless extended.

So it is important not to confuse the older $100,000 measure with the newly proposed $103,265 fee.

This Is Still Only a Proposal

And this may be the most important point of all.

As of September 2026, the $103,265 fee is not yet a final rule.

DHS issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

The proposal was formally published in the Federal Register on August 25, 2026, with the public-comment period scheduled to close on September 24, 2026.

DHS can then review the comments before deciding how—or whether—to proceed with a final rule.

So saying:

“H-1Bs now cost $103,265”

would be inaccurate.

The more precise statement is:

DHS has proposed an additional $103,265 fee for cap-subject H-1B petitions.

What I’ll Be Watching Next

There are several important questions to follow:

• Will the proposal become a final rule?
• Will the $103,265 amount remain unchanged?
• When would it become effective?
• Will it face litigation?
• Will H-1B registrations decline?
• Will smaller businesses pull back from foreign-worker sponsorship?
• How will the OPT-to-H-1B career path change?

If a six-figure additional fee really is implemented, the H-1B system could effectively begin asking employers a very different question:

How much is this foreign professional worth to your company?

And for foreign workers, technical ability alone might no longer be enough.

They could increasingly need to become candidates whom an employer considers valuable enough to justify paying more than $100,000 just for the immigration process.

This proposal has the potential to reshape the H-1B program significantly, so it is something I plan to keep following through the final-rule process.

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Where Are U.S. Interest Rates Headed?

For the past few years, many prospective homebuyers have probably been asking the same question:

“When are mortgage rates finally going to come down?”

Inflation and interest rates remain major themes in the U.S. economy.

The Federal Reserve faces a difficult balancing act: bringing inflation under control without slowing the economy too aggressively.

The economy is in an awkward position.

It is not necessarily experiencing a severe downturn.

At the same time, inflationary pressures have not completely disappeared.

For households, a prolonged period of elevated interest rates affects the cost of:

• Mortgages
• Auto loans
• Credit cards

For anyone thinking about buying a home, this means focusing only on:

“I’ll wait until home prices come down.”

may not be enough.

What ultimately matters to your household budget is the monthly payment, and the mortgage rate plays an enormous role in determining that payment.

In today’s housing market, affordability should therefore be evaluated based not only on the purchase price of the home, but also on the financing cost.

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More Than Million in Gold Reportedly Found Inside a Wall in Belgium

Imagine renovating an old building and discovering gold bars hidden inside a wall.

It sounds like the beginning of a movie, but something remarkably similar happened in Belgium.

In August 2026, workers renovating a building in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde in northern Belgium discovered a large cache of gold hidden inside a basement wall.

Reports described the discovery as including:

• 49 gold bars
• More than 4,000 gold coins
• Additional gold items

The treasure was reportedly worth around $10 million.

An 18-year-old student working a summer job at the construction site reportedly made the initial discovery after spotting what looked like a coin.

At first, he apparently thought:

“Is that a one-euro coin?”

But as the workers continued investigating, they eventually uncovered gold bars as well.

That is certainly not something most people expect to encounter during an ordinary day at a construction site.

The gold was found in the basement of a 19th-century villa once owned by the Van Assche family, which had operated a brewery.

The treasure appears to have been deliberately concealed inside the wall, raising an obvious mystery:

Who hid it, when did they hide it, and why?

The workers contacted police after the discovery, and the gold was placed in secure custody while authorities investigated its ownership.

The question that immediately crossed my mind was:

Does the person who finds it get to keep it?

Unfortunately, it is not as simple as:

“I found it. I’m a millionaire now!”

Determining who legally owns the treasure could involve competing claims from:

• Descendants of the original owner
• The current property owner
• The construction company
• The workers who actually discovered it

Reports have also suggested that a five-year period under Belgian law could become relevant in determining whether a rightful owner comes forward.

The story made me jokingly wonder whether anyone buying an old house should start checking inside the walls.

Of course, most of us are not going to find millions of dollars in hidden gold.

But Europe has no shortage of buildings that are more than a century old.

During wars, political instability, banking crises, and other periods of uncertainty, it is not difficult to imagine previous generations hiding cash, coins, or precious metals inside their homes.

Another fascinating part of the story is how dramatically the value of gold has increased.

Gold that may have represented a much smaller fortune decades ago can now be worth millions.

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The US Open Never Disappoints — and Kei Nishikori Is Heading Toward His Final Japan Open

September in New York means one thing for tennis fans:

The US Open.

I love tennis, so this is one of the sporting events I look forward to every year.

But the 2026 tournament feels particularly significant.

It is not simply about watching current superstars such as Carlos Alcaraz.

This year also marks the final season for several players who have entertained tennis fans for many years, including Kei Nishikori, Gaël Monfils, and Stan Wawrinka.

It feels like the closing of an era.

Kei Nishikori and the End of a Historic Japanese Tennis Career

For Japanese tennis fans in particular, Kei Nishikori’s retirement carries special meaning.

Nishikori announced in April 2026 that he would retire from professional tennis at the end of the season.

He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 4, won 12 ATP Tour titles, and became the first Japanese man to reach the ATP Top 10.

He fundamentally changed what Japanese tennis fans believed was possible.

And no tournament is more closely connected to Nishikori’s career than the US Open.

In 2014, he defeated Novak Djokovic in the semifinals to become the first Japanese man to reach a Grand Slam singles final.

He ultimately lost the final to Marin Čilić, who seemed almost unstoppable that day, but I still remember how exciting it was to watch Nishikori make that run.

Twelve years later, Nishikori returned to New York for what would become his final Grand Slam appearance.

In 2026, he entered the US Open through qualifying rather than directly into the main draw.

He made it all the way to the final round of qualifying—just one victory away from the main draw.

But there he faced 20-year-old Japanese prospect Rei Sakamoto.

Sakamoto won 6-4, 7-6.

That became Nishikori’s final Grand Slam match.

A ceremony was held on court afterward.

There was something almost poetic about the matchup.

The final Grand Slam opponent of the man who carried Japanese men’s tennis for more than a decade was a 20-year-old Japanese player who could potentially help lead its next generation.

It felt like a symbolic passing of the torch.

Nishikori also expressed his hope that Sakamoto could become Japan’s next top player.

The man who reached the US Open final in 2014 returned to the same city 12 years later and ended his Grand Slam career against one of Japan’s emerging young talents.

You could hardly script a more fitting ending.

Gaël Monfils Says Goodbye to the Grand Slams

Gaël Monfils is also expected to retire at the end of 2026.

Monfils has always been one of the most entertaining players on tour.

His incredible athleticism, sliding, jumping shots, improvisation, and court coverage made him the type of player you watched not just because you wanted to know who would win, but because you never knew what he might do next.

At age 40, Monfils won his first-round match at this year’s US Open on his birthday.

That made him the first 40-year-old man since Jimmy Connors to win a US Open singles main-draw match.

He then lost in the second round to 20-year-old American Learner Tien, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

That became Monfils’ final Grand Slam match.

Afterward, the USTA played a tribute video, and Monfils thanked the New York crowd.

I will genuinely miss watching him.

He never won a Grand Slam title, but very few players have ever had his ability to make you think:

“I have absolutely no idea what he is going to do next.”

Stan Wawrinka’s Final US Open

Stan Wawrinka has also announced that 2026 will be his final season.

Wawrinka won three Grand Slam singles titles:

• 2014 Australian Open
• 2015 French Open
• 2016 US Open

Winning three majors during an era dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray is an extraordinary achievement in itself.

And then there is that one-handed backhand.

Two-handed backhands dominate modern men’s tennis, but Wawrinka’s explosive one-hander remains one of the most memorable shots of his generation.

At age 41, Wawrinka returned to New York one last time in 2026 after receiving a main-draw wild card.

He lost to Matteo Berrettini, 7-6, 7-6, 6-0.

Afterward, he received a huge ovation from the New York crowd as he said goodbye to the tournament he won a decade earlier.

Like Monfils, Wawrinka was never merely someone you watched for the result.

You watched him because there was something distinctive about the way he played.

Nishikori Still Has One Major Stage Left: The Japan Open

The US Open did not mark the end of Nishikori’s entire career.

One particularly meaningful tournament remains:

The Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships 2026.

The men’s tournament is scheduled to take place at Ariake Coliseum and Ariake Tennis Forest Park, with the main draw running from September 30 through October 6 and qualifying scheduled for September 28 and 29.

And the expected field is impressive.

The player list includes names such as:

• Carlos Alcaraz
• Ben Shelton
• Taylor Fritz
• Frances Tiafoe
• Lorenzo Musetti
• Casper Ruud
• Tommy Paul
• Denis Shapovalov

Nishikori is also expected to compete as a wild card.

Seeing Alcaraz play in Japan is exciting enough.

But for Japanese fans, the biggest story may be that this is expected to be Kei Nishikori’s final Japan Open.

Nishikori has won the tournament twice before.

He has also acknowledged that this appearance will be his last Japan Open.

It should be fascinating—and emotional—to see what kind of final performance he can produce in front of Japanese fans.

Men’s Tennis Is Entering a New Era

Watching the 2026 season, it is impossible not to feel that men’s tennis is moving decisively into another generation.

Not long ago, the sport revolved around Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray, with players such as Wawrinka, Monfils, and Nishikori battling around them.

Djokovic is still competing and continuing to achieve remarkable things, but the center of the sport increasingly belongs to players such as Alcaraz, Sinner, Zverev, Medvedev, Shelton, Tien, and other emerging stars.

Generational change is inevitable in sports.

But when several players you have watched for more than a decade disappear at roughly the same time, you really feel it.

At the same time, Nishikori’s final Grand Slam opponent being Rei Sakamoto is a reminder that new players are always arriving.

There is sadness in saying goodbye to legends.

There is excitement in discovering the next generation.

Perhaps 2026 is one of those rare tennis seasons when we get to experience both at once.

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A Russian Man Jumped From the Stratosphere — But Others Have Jumped From More Than 25 Miles Up

One of the stories that surprised me most recently involved Russian skydiver Sergey Boytsov.

Boytsov ascended in a hot-air balloon to an altitude of 11,551 meters, or about 11.5 kilometers, before jumping.

That is roughly the cruising altitude of a commercial passenger aircraft.

Just imagine looking out the window of an airplane at cruising altitude—and then imagining someone simply jumping out.

That alone sounds terrifying.

Boytsov completed the jump on August 15, 2026, in Russia’s Altai region.

According to local reports, he deployed his parachute at an altitude of 1,565 meters, and the 11,551-meter jump was reported as a new record for a jump from a hot-air balloon.

The previous reported record in the same category was 10,060 meters by a Polish team.

So Boytsov improved it by roughly 1.5 kilometers.

But that made me wonder:

If 11.5 kilometers is impressive, what is the highest altitude from which a human has ever jumped?

The answer takes us much higher.

Felix Baumgartner: Nearly 39 Kilometers Above Earth

On October 14, 2012, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner ascended over Roswell, New Mexico, as part of the famous Red Bull Stratos project.

His exit altitude was:

38,969.4 meters.

That is almost 39 kilometers, more than three times Boytsov’s altitude.

Wearing a specialized pressure suit, Baumgartner stepped out and free-fell toward Earth.

His maximum speed reached 1,357.6 km/h, exceeding the speed of sound.

The FAI recognized records from the jump including:

• Exit altitude: 38,969.4 meters
• Free-fall vertical distance: 36,402.6 meters
• Maximum vertical speed: 1,357.6 km/h

Even more remarkably, Baumgartner became the first person to break the sound barrier in free fall without using mechanical propulsion.

And yet someone later jumped from even higher.

Alan Eustace: About 41.4 Kilometers

About two years after Baumgartner’s jump, computer scientist and then-Google Senior Vice President Alan Eustace went even higher.

On October 24, 2014, Eustace ascended over New Mexico beneath a giant helium balloon.

His jump began at approximately:

41,422 meters.

That is roughly 41.4 kilometers, around 2.4 kilometers higher than Baumgartner’s exit altitude.

And unlike Baumgartner, Eustace did not ride to altitude inside a special capsule.

He wore a specialized pressure suit and was suspended directly beneath the balloon during an ascent lasting roughly two hours.

Just imagining that is enough to make me uncomfortable.

According to the FAI, Eustace reached a maximum speed of roughly 1,320 km/h and broke the sound barrier approximately 35 seconds into his free fall.

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum has also described the jump as the highest-altitude free-fall jump at the time.

So, very roughly:

• Sergey Boytsov: 11.6 km
• Felix Baumgartner: 39.0 km
• Alan Eustace: 41.4 km

A typical passenger aircraft cruises at around 10 to 12 kilometers.

So Boytsov jumped from roughly airliner altitude.

Baumgartner and Eustace jumped from roughly three to four times higher.

At 41 kilometers, the environment looks completely different from the sky we see from the ground.

The sky becomes much darker.

The curvature of Earth becomes visible.

And atmospheric pressure is so low that survival without specialized equipment would be impossible.

At that point, calling it ordinary skydiving almost seems inadequate.

It is closer to a combination of extreme sports, aerospace engineering, and space technology.

Why Boytsov’s 11.5-Kilometer Jump Still Matters

You might now be thinking:

“If people have jumped from 39 or 41 kilometers, why is an 11.5-kilometer jump such a big deal?”

Because these records belong to different categories.

Baumgartner ascended in a specialized capsule carried by a helium balloon.

Eustace ascended in a pressure suit suspended directly beneath a giant helium balloon.

Boytsov’s achievement was reported as a high-altitude parachute jump from a hot-air balloon.

So the significance is not that Boytsov made the highest jump in human history.

It is that he reached an extraordinary altitude and jumped within a particular hot-air-balloon category.

That distinction is important when comparing records.

And Then There Was Joseph Kittinger in 1960

Long before Baumgartner or Eustace, there was another extraordinary high-altitude jumper:

U.S. Air Force officer Joseph Kittinger.

In 1960, Kittinger jumped from roughly 31 kilometers above Earth as part of Project Excelsior.

Technology was far less advanced than it is today.

Yet Kittinger personally participated in experiments designed to answer an extremely serious question:

Could a human survive an emergency escape from extreme altitude?

More than half a century later, when Baumgartner attempted the Red Bull Stratos jump, Kittinger became part of the mission team supporting him.

That connection between generations is fascinating.

What began as military and aerospace research in the 1960s eventually helped support one of the most famous extreme-sports projects in history.

The thing I find most fascinating about all of these stories is not even the records themselves.

It is the question:

Why do humans want to jump from places this high?

Eleven kilometers sounds terrifying.

Thirty-nine kilometers sounds even worse.

Forty-one kilometers is almost impossible to imagine.

And yet people continue trying to go higher, faster, and farther.

The technologies developed around extreme challenges like these have also contributed to aerospace research.

Today we frequently hear about commercial spaceflight from companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.

But getting into space is only half the challenge.

Developing technologies that allow humans to return safely from extreme environments is equally important.

I started reading about this because of Boytsov’s 11.5-kilometer jump.

By the time I finished, I had discovered that someone had jumped from more than 41 kilometers above Earth.

Human beings apparently have an even stronger appetite for extreme challenges than I realized.

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China Holds a “Humanoid Robot Olympics” — Did a Robot Really Run 100 Meters Faster Than Usain Bolt?

One of the most interesting technology stories this month came from Beijing.

From August 22 through August 26, 2026, China hosted what could essentially be described as a world sports competition for humanoid robots.

The event was held at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval—the “Ice Ribbon”—which was also used during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

This was the second edition of the event.

And the scale was enormous:

• 666 teams
• 2,056 robots
• 16 countries
• 51 events

The competitions included familiar athletic events such as:

• 100-meter sprint
• 400 meters
• 1,500 meters
• High jump
• Weightlifting
• Soccer
• Martial arts
• Street dance

But the robots were also tested in more practical scenarios involving:

• Hotels
• Housekeeping
• Factories
• Firefighting
• Retail
• Emergency rescue

So this is beginning to look like more than a robot exhibition.

It is becoming a testing ground for a much bigger question:

Can humanoid robots actually function in the real world?

A Robot Ran 100 Meters in 8.86 Seconds?

One of the most eye-catching results came in the 100-meter sprint.

A humanoid robot called Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, reportedly completed the 100 meters in 8.86 seconds.

For comparison, Usain Bolt’s men’s 100-meter world record is 9.58 seconds.

If you only compare the numbers, the obvious headline is:

“Robot beats Usain Bolt!”

The previous year’s winning robot time had reportedly been 21.50 seconds.

Going from 21.50 seconds to 8.86 seconds in one year sounds astonishing.

Of course, comparing a robot directly with a human athlete requires caution because the machines and competition conditions are fundamentally different.

Still, the idea of a bipedal humanoid machine completing 100 meters in less than nine seconds is striking in itself.

What About 1,500 Meters?

The improvement was not limited to sprinting.

A robot from the Tianzhuo Team reportedly won the 1,500-meter event in 2:21.64.

Beijing authorities said the best result at the previous year’s event was 6:34.40.

That would represent an improvement of more than four minutes in a single year.

Again, direct comparisons with human athletic records should be treated cautiously because the competition conditions are not equivalent.

High jump also produced an eye-catching number: 2.88 meters.

For comparison, the men’s human high-jump world record is 2.45 meters.

The previous year’s robot result was reportedly just 95.64 centimeters.

Beijing highlighted the 2.88-meter performance as one of the major achievements of this year’s competition.

Don’t Worry—Plenty of Robots Still Fall Over

What made the event particularly entertaining, however, was not simply the idea that “robots are beating humans.”

Some of the most widely shared moments involved robots failing spectacularly.

Robots fell while running.

They dropped barbells.

They missed landings.

They fell down stairs.

They collided with other robots.

They missed their targets.

One robot reportedly crashed into a mat after completing the 100-meter sprint and caused a small fire.

Videos of these failures naturally became popular on social media.

And in a strange way, those failures make the event more interesting.

They are a reminder that while humanoid robotics is advancing quickly, operating reliably in the physical world remains extremely difficult.

One Major Change: No Remote Control

Another important development this year was autonomy.

The 100-meter event, in particular, was changed to require fully autonomous robots.

That means a human operator was not simply sitting nearby telling the robot:

“Move right.”

“Go faster.”

“Stay in your lane.”

Instead, the robot has to perceive its surroundings, understand its position, maintain balance, choose its movements, and execute them.

That is an important distinction between a sophisticated remote-controlled machine and a genuinely autonomous humanoid robot.

Folding Laundry at a Sports Competition?

The part I find even more interesting is what happens away from the track.

Some events tested robots on household tasks such as folding laundry.

Emergency-rescue competitions involved tasks such as extinguishing fires.

Other scenarios simulated restaurants, hotels, and factories.

That may ultimately matter much more than how quickly a robot can run 100 meters.

A robot that runs 100 meters in eight seconds is impressive.

But most households do not need a robot sprinter.

They might want a robot that can:

• Fold laundry
• Clean the house
• Carry groceries
• Help an elderly family member
• Assist with cooking

The real competition in humanoid robotics may therefore not be about creating the best robot athlete.

It may be about creating the robot that is most useful in ordinary life.

Why Is China Investing So Heavily in Humanoid Robots?

Viewed only as entertainment, the event is a fun robot competition.

But behind it is a much larger industrial strategy.

Beijing is reportedly home to roughly a quarter of China’s humanoid-robot manufacturers.

China has several powerful reasons to invest aggressively in humanoid robotics, including:

• Population decline
• Labor shortages
• Factory automation
• An aging population
• Logistics
• Service industries
• Development of its domestic AI industry

China has already become a major global force in electric vehicles.

There are clear signs that it wants to establish a similarly important position in humanoid robotics.

Is the Next AI Race About Giving AI a Body?

For the past several years, when most people heard “AI,” they thought about software such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude.

Those systems primarily exist inside computers and smartphones.

Humanoid robotics adds something different:

AI + cameras + sensors + motors + batteries + a physical body.

This is often discussed under the broader concept of embodied AI.

Imagine telling an AI:

“Clean this room.”

The system would need to:

1. Look around the room.
2. Identify what is out of place.
3. Pick objects up.
4. Operate cleaning equipment.
5. Put objects back where they belong.

At that point, AI is no longer simply a chatbot.

It becomes something capable of performing work in the physical world.

Where Will Robots Be Next Year?

The speed of improvement is what caught my attention most.

The reported 100-meter performance went from:

2025: 21.50 seconds

to

2026: 8.86 seconds

The high-jump performance reportedly went from roughly:

2025: 0.96 meters

to

2026: 2.88 meters

Participation also expanded from about 280 teams in the first competition to 666 teams in the second.

This year, 2,056 robots participated.

Plenty of robots still fall over, break, or fail relatively simple tasks.

But when a robot that looked almost comical one year can perform dramatically better the next, it makes you wonder what these machines could look like five or ten years from now.

Will there really be a time when having one humanoid robot at home becomes normal?

It is a field I plan to keep watching closely.

Pick-up/Gadget/Lifehacks

Flipp: A Simple Way to Compare Weekly Grocery Deals

This month’s app recommendation is Flipp.

If you live in the United States, you have probably asked questions like:

“Which grocery store has the best deals this week?”

“Are eggs cheaper at Costco or Stop & Shop?”

“Before I drive to Costco, should I check whether the local supermarket has a sale?”

Years ago, answering those questions often meant comparing stacks of paper weekly circulars.

Flipp makes the process much easier.

What Is Flipp?

Flipp is a free shopping app that brings weekly ads, sales, and coupons from nearby grocery stores and retailers into one place.

According to Flipp, users can search deals from more than 2,000 stores across the United States and Canada.

Depending on your area, that can include retailers such as:

• Walmart
• Stop & Shop
• CVS
• Walgreens
• Home Depot

And it is not limited to groceries.

Categories can include:

• Pharmacy
• Home and garden
• Electronics
• Baby and kids
• Pet supplies
• Sporting goods

So I think of Flipp less as a “grocery flyer app” and more as a local search engine for retail sales.

Search by Product Instead of Store

This may be Flipp’s most useful feature.

You do not necessarily have to open every store’s weekly ad individually.

Search for “eggs,” for example, and you can look for egg deals across multiple nearby stores.

You can do the same for:

• Milk
• Chicken
• Paper towels
• Diapers
• Laundry detergent

That is a meaningful difference.

Instead of asking:

“What is on sale at Store A?”

you can ask:

“Where is the thing I actually need on sale?”

Build a Shopping List

Flipp also integrates shopping lists.

Suppose you need:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Chicken
• Bananas
• Toilet paper
• Diapers

Add them to your shopping list and you can more easily look for relevant deals.

When you find a sale you like, you can also add the deal itself to your list.

Lists can be organized by store and shared with family members.

Anyone who shops for a family probably knows the familiar exchange:

“Can you get milk?”

“I already bought it.”

“Okay… what about eggs?”

A shared list can eliminate some of that confusion.

Digital Coupons in One Place

Coupons are another complicated part of grocery shopping in America.

Paper coupons have increasingly been replaced by digital coupons and store loyalty programs.

But that often means opening a separate app for every retailer, finding the coupon, “clipping” it digitally, and making sure the correct loyalty account is used at checkout.

For participating retailers, Flipp can help users browse digital coupons and load them to a loyalty card.

In some cases, users can also identify coupon matchups with store sales.

U.S. grocery shopping can sometimes involve stacking:

Sale price + store coupon + manufacturer coupon + credit-card rewards

That can create meaningful savings.

But researching all of those discounts manually takes time.

Flipp can help consolidate part of that process.

Favorite Stores Make It Easier

You can also save your favorite stores.

If you regularly shop at only Stop & Shop, CVS, and Walmart, for example, you can favorite those stores and access their weekly ads more easily.

There are so many retailers in America that trying to monitor every sale is probably not worthwhile.

A more sustainable approach may be:

Favorite three to five stores you already use and search only for products you actually need.

Another strength is localization.

Enter your ZIP code and Flipp can focus on deals available near you rather than showing generic national promotions.

How Much Can Flipp Save You?

Flipp has advertised potential grocery savings of around 20% per week.

The company has also cited a 2023 survey of 6,650 U.S. and Canadian consumers suggesting that Flipp users may save an average of around $49 per week.

Obviously, that does not mean downloading Flipp will automatically save every household $49 every week.

Results will depend on:

• How much you normally spend
• Where you shop
• Which products you buy
• How flexible you are about brands
• Whether you actually buy sale items

And buying something unnecessary just because it is on sale is not saving money.

To me, Flipp’s biggest value is not necessarily achieving a particular savings percentage.

It is reducing the number of purchases where you buy something without checking the price elsewhere first.

Don’t Drive Across Town to Save

There is also a danger in becoming too aggressive about price comparison.

Suppose milk costs $3.99 at Store A and $3.49 at Store B.

Driving an extra 20 minutes to save 50 cents probably does not make financial sense once you consider gasoline and your time.

That is why I prefer using Flipp to compare stores I was already likely to visit.

For example, if I know I will go to either Costco or Stop & Shop this week, comparing those stores can be useful.

That gives you a better balance between saving money and saving time.

Flipp Can Help With Meal Planning Too

Flipp can also be useful for meal planning.

Instead of deciding what you want to eat first and then buying the ingredients at whatever price happens to be available, you can reverse the process.

Chicken breast is on sale?

Make more chicken dishes this week.

Ground beef is discounted?

Maybe tacos or hamburgers.

Salmon is on sale?

Make salmon over the weekend.

With food prices putting pressure on household budgets, planning meals around sale items can make a noticeable difference.

How I Would Use Flipp

If I were setting up Flipp from scratch, I would keep it simple.

First, favorite the three to five stores you use most often.

Then add your recurring purchases to your shopping list:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Bread
• Chicken
• Fruit
• Diapers
• Paper towels

Before your weekend grocery trip, spend five minutes checking Flipp.

If something you regularly use is on sale, buy it.

If a non-urgent item is at full price, consider waiting until the following week.

Even this simple routine can reduce the habit of walking into a supermarket and buying things without thinking about the price.

Flipp is essentially the modern version of the huge stack of Sunday newspaper circulars—except searchable, organized, and sitting on your phone.

For families that shop at multiple supermarkets, households trying to reduce grocery spending, or anyone who finds weekly-ad comparison annoying, it may be worth trying.

Personal finance is not only about earning more money.

Sometimes it is about making the same lifestyle cost a little less.

Flipp seems like a useful life hack for doing exactly that.

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Personal Finance

Can You Really Earn 7% Interest From the IRS?

This is one of the more interesting tax-related topics I have recently covered on USJapanLifeHacker.

For the third quarter of 2026, the IRS individual overpayment interest rate is 7% per year.

IRS interest is also generally compounded daily.

At first glance, that creates an obvious thought:

“If the IRS pays 7%, why not use the IRS instead of a savings account?”

Unfortunately, it does not work that way.

There are rules under which the IRS can process a refund within a specified period without paying refund interest.

And making an estimated tax payment early does not mean the IRS begins paying you 7% from the date you send the money.

In other words:

The IRS is not a 7% high-yield savings account.

The more useful lesson is not to intentionally overpay your taxes in an attempt to earn interest.

Instead, if a legitimate tax refund has been delayed for a long time, make sure you understand whether you should have received interest and whether the amount was calculated correctly.

Related article:

Can You Earn 7% Interest from the IRS? How Tax Refund Interest Really Works in 2026

Can You Earn 7% Interest from the IRS? How Tax Refund Interest Really Works in 2026Have you ever heard someone say:“If y...

www.usjapanlifehacker.com

2026.08.23

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Should You Close Your U.S. Bank Account Before Returning to Japan?

Another topic I recently covered involves something many Japanese expatriates face when returning home.

When you leave the United States, you naturally start shutting things down:

• Apartment
• Phone service
• Electricity
• Car
• Credit cards

It is tempting to do the same with your U.S. bank account:

“I’m not going to live in America anymore, so I might as well close it.”

From a tax perspective, however, immediately closing the account is not always the best choice.

Even in the year after returning to Japan, you may still be dealing with:

• Federal tax refunds
• State tax refunds
• Tax equalization settlements
• Amended returns

Keeping an appropriate U.S. bank account open until your final tax filings and refunds have been resolved may therefore be worth considering.

For expatriates, there is an important distinction:

The day you leave the United States is not necessarily the day your U.S. tax affairs end.

That is an easy detail to overlook.

Related article:
https://www.usjapanlifehacker.com/en/should-you-close-your-u-s-bank-account-before-returning-to-japan-a-2026-tax-refund-guide-for-expats/

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My Current Investments

I have not made any new stock trades since my previous update.

My current holdings therefore remain unchanged.

Both positions experienced fairly significant declines at one point.

DELL in particular fell enough that I considered cutting my losses.

The shares have since shown signs of recovering, including around developments and public comments involving President Trump, so for now I am continuing to monitor the position rather than making a new trade.

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Shop/Restaurant

Spicy Chef

The restaurant I would like to highlight this month is Spicy Chef.

It has become one of my go-to places whenever I am craving Sichuan-style Chinese food.

The food is consistently flavorful, but what makes the restaurant especially appealing is the portion size.

The servings are generous, so it also feels like good value for the money.

If you enjoy the bold, spicy, numbing flavors associated with Sichuan cuisine, Spicy Chef is definitely worth having on your list.

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Afterword

What did you think of this month’s Stories That Caught My Eye?

This edition jumped all over the place: H-1B visas, U.S. interest rates, millions of dollars in hidden gold, the US Open, extreme high-altitude jumps, humanoid robot competitions, grocery savings, tax refunds, investing, and food.

But I think that randomness is part of what makes this series fun.

I have been writing much more about taxes recently.

Tax is, of course, an important part of USJapanLifeHacker.

But I do not want this site to be only about taxes.

The broader idea behind USJapanLifeHacker is to explore things that can make life between Japan and the United States a little easier, smarter, more interesting, or financially better.

One story often leads naturally to another.

Interest rates lead to mortgages.

Mortgages lead to home-buying budgets.

Home-buying budgets lead to savings.

Savings lead to personal finance.

Personal finance leads to taxes.

And suddenly one small branch has grown into several more.

That is the idea behind this series.

There are now only four months left in 2026.

As we approach year-end, there will soon be even more to think about:

• Tax planning
• Retirement contributions
• Holiday shopping
• Travel
• Year-end finances

September may be a good moment to check in before all of that begins.

How is your family doing?

How is your health?

How are your finances?

How is work?

You do not have to improve everything at once.

Small improvements, accumulated consistently over time, can make a meaningful difference.

That is the kind of September I hope to have.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next edition of Stories That Caught My Eye.