幕開け

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 幕開け, read まくあけ, means the opening of an event or a new phase, with the image of a curtain opening.
• Basic usage: It expresses the beginning of a festival or an event that opens a new era for a town.
  • 鐘の音を合図に祭りの幕開けを迎えた。

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Tone compared with 始まり
  • 始まり broadly means a beginning, while 幕開け gives prominence to the opening of an event, era, or new phase. It can be used without an actual stage curtain.