JLPT N1 Shinkanzen Grammar Lesson 2: ～を皮切りに・～に至るまで・～を限りに (Starting with... / Up to... / Ending with...)

Explanation: Takes one event as the starting point from which similar events or activities proceed successively and expand.
✓ Often used for a series of events, activities, plans, etc. that begins at a specific point and then continues in other places or cases.
✓ Note: The focus is on “taking N as the opening of a continuing series”; it is generally not used merely for spontaneous natural phenomena that happen one after another.

Explanation: Shows that the scope of something extends to a point beyond what the speaker would normally expect.
✓ It often appears with small or detailed matters to emphasize: ordinary or major things are included as expected, but the range extends even to something this unexpected. Similar to ～はもちろん...～までも.

Explanation: Marks a particular time as the final point: something that has continued until then will end, stop, or change after that point.
✓ Often used with time expressions such as 今日 (today), 今回 (this time), 今年度 (this fiscal/academic year), and 今月末 (the end of this month).
✓ It can describe either a personal decision or an objective event; it does not necessarily express only the speaker’s intention to quit.

Explanation: Used to make a formal announcement of the time when an event, activity, or deadline ends.
✓ This is a formal and stiff expression, commonly used in official notices by organizations or companies, such as business closures or application deadlines. It is not used for trivial matters in everyday life.

Explanation: Gives an approximate assessment of a degree, quantity, or situation: “roughly/about that much” or, depending on context, “at most that much.”
✓ Often follows a quantity or a verb and commonly appears with expressions such as せいぜい (at most), 多くても/最高でも (even at the maximum).
✓ It presents the speaker’s rough estimate based on the situation rather than an exact absolute figure.