間際

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 間際(まぎわ) means the time immediately before something happens.
• Basic usage: It combines with event names, as in 出発間際 and 閉店間際 for the moments just before departure or closing.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• More imminent than 前
  • 出発前 broadly means before departure. 出発間際 places departure very close at hand, adding a sense of immediacy.