Back to Life, Back to Lottery Trend

Hey there, Lottery Binge readers! Lottery Meister (a.k.a. “Freyja Harris”) here, back from vacation. First, I’d like to thank my guest blogger Romulun for holding down the fort while I was in Japan. He’ll continue to be a part of the Lottery Trend team as our lotterytrend-megamillions.com analyst. Before I talk about my Japan adventure, let’s recap what went down in the April 4th, 2017 Mega Millions drawing.

Mega Millions

The {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern made its 147th appearance Tuesday night with winning numbers 13, 24, 34, 35, 55, and MB 9.

Winning Mega Millions numbers.

There have now been 361 Mega Millions drawings, and the {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern has played in 40.7% of them. Prior to Tuesday, we last saw this Pattern not too long ago in the March 24th drawing.

The [1-1-2-1-1] General Order made its 34th appearance, its first since the February 24, 2017 drawing. This General Order has now played in 23.1% of the 147 drawings where the {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern has appeared. The [1-1-2-1-1] General Order has also played in 9.42% of all 361 drawings.

Next in our recap is the 1 1 2 1 0 1 Specific Order, which made its 11th appearance. This Specific Order has now played in 32.4% of the 34 drawings where the [1-1-2-1-1] General Order appeared, 7.48% of the 147 drawings where the {2-1-1-1-1} Pattern appeared, and 3.05% of all Mega Millions drawings. To see when the 1 1 2 1 0 1 Specific Order previously played, we need to go back near the beginning of the year, January 10, 2017 to be precise.

Our Mega Millions analysis concludes with the repeat appearance of the Three-Number Combination 13, 35, and MB 9.

Repeating Three-Number Combination highlighted in red box.

This Combination debuted in the August 28h, 2015 drawing.

And now, I’m going to take some time to talk about my trip.

On March 19th, I left on a 14-hour flight from Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston bound for Narita in Tokyo.

Just before leaving Houston.

There were two purposes to my trip: to partake in the sights and to see my cousin, who is currently stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. Our first week was in Tokyo, and our second week was in Okinawa.

Tokyo

I met up with my cousin at Narita and we made our way to the Granbell Hotel Shinjuku via rail, subway, and taxi. Our rooms were small, but the most important thing was that they were clean! The shower had hot water every day and the beds were comfortable.

Tiny room, comfortable bed!

In addition to walking, the subway/rail system was our main method of transportation. Tokyo was the first time either of us had ever used a subway but we got the hang of it. Whenever we got lost or turned around, there were always people available to help us.

One aspect I truly liked about Tokyo was how the parks and the shrines provided sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the city. I found Ikebukuro and Ueno to be more laid back than Shinjuku and Akihabara! Ueno Park is where we found a lone cherry tree in full bloom. The other trees in the park either hadn’t sprouted yet, or were in the middle of such. I can only imagine what the park looks like now!

Getting an early start to cherry blossom season.

For our readers who have never been to Tokyo, here are some tips:

  • Buy either (a) a PASMO card or (b) a ticket that grants you access on the Toei and Tokyo Metro subways/trains. Which option you choose is based on the number of days you’re spending in Tokyo. Since we only stayed for five days, we spent ¥1000 each day, or roughly $9.
    1. The subways stop running at midnight.
    2. If you must catch the subway during rush hour, try to aim for a car that has fewer people.
  • If you plan to visit other parts of Japan, buy a JR Rail Pass. We didn’t need one since we stayed in Tokyo the first week. Also, the JR Pass is useless in Okinawa.
  • There will be a lot of walking and standing. Strengthen those legs and don’t forget to stretch before leaving your hotel room!
  • If you visit in winter/early spring, wear layers. The high rises create wind tunnels, and it will feel at least 5 degrees (Fahrenheit) colder.
  • The Sony Building in Ginza is in the process of being replaced by a park, which shall be named Sony Park.
  • Some vending machines will have soda or water in them, while others will have beer, coffee, tea, or even cigarettes. Vending machines are also on just about every corner.
Who said you had to visit New York City?

Okinawa

For the second week, we flew from Narita to Naha and bunked at Kadena Air Base.

As a guest, I needed a pass to show that I belonged on site, and my cousin served as my escort whenever we were on base. Off-base, we partook in the wonders of steak ramen (Stripe) and Coco Curry House.

Shuri Castle provided an interesting lesson on the history of the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa is part of the Ryukyu Islands). One of the most breathtaking sites from the castle was looking out and seeing a bit of the East China Sea. We got a close-up when we went to the Sunabe sea wall.

Low tide and seaweed

Houston is notorious for its hot and muggy summers, and I got word from my cousin that the summers in Kadena are worse. The mountains block any breeze from the sea from reaching inland. I can only imagine how popular the Sunabe sea wall and the beaches are in the summer months!

Kokusai Dori is a strip full of stores and off-beat shops. One such shop allows you to pet owls and, if you pay a little extra, get to hold one!

The first of many owls. This one is stuffed!

The Southeast Botanical Gardens had a variety of plants and animals, and provided a sense of serenity.

When my cousin wasn’t showing me around Okinawa, we’d binge-watch Game of Thrones. Prior to my trip, I had read the first three books, but never watched the show. Let’s just say I’m hooked on the show, and I need to watch seasons 5 and 6 before the next season starts!

Okinawa in general is more laid back than Tokyo, and seeing people drive just about everywhere reminded me of home. Speaking of home, March 30th was when I had bid sayonara to Japan. There were a couple of things I was going to miss:

One of the best sodas ever.
  • Melon Fanta (pictured)– I had my first taste of it from a 500 mL bottle I bought at a 7-11 in Tokyo. The result? I started ordering it with just about every meal. It goes great with steak ramen! This drink isn’t available Stateside.
  • Kit Kats – Yes, Kit Kats are available in the States, but Japanese Kit Kats have a special je n’ais se quoi about them. They come in a variety of flavors, some of which are specific to a region. The beni-imo, or purple sweet potato flavor, is exclusive to Okinawa. Other flavors I had were matcha green tea and wasabi flavor.

Fun fact: “Kit Kat” sounds a lot like きっと 勝つ (kitto katsu), which translated means “You’ll surely win”.  It’s not uncommon for students to eat them before a test. I wouldn’t be at all shocked if some of our Japanese readers munch on a Kit Kat or two before picking numbers!

On the flight back to Houston.

To our readers in Japan, and to all of the nice people who helped us navigate the subways and the restaurants, I have this to say: ありがとう ございます。

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