Kicking off with the mayor of Munich's ceremonial "tapping of the keg," this world's largest beer festival will run for 16 days on a 42-hectare site (about nine Tokyo Domes).
This year marks the historic milestone of the 200th anniversary, so a special History Tent has been set up to recreate the festival atmosphere of 200 years ago.
Inside the tent, which is filled with a nostalgic atmosphere, dances, parades and horse races unique to the Bavarian region are scheduled to be held twice a day each, day after day, and even more visitors than in a usual year are expected.
When you talk about Oktoberfest, beer is of course the main attraction, but there are also bars serving non-alcoholic drinks and traveling amusement parks with carousels and roller coasters, and many families can be seen as well.
Used to mean "starting with ~, (and then similar things continue one after another)." It is often used when something is becoming popular or developing.
Connection V-る／V-た＋の／N ＋ を皮切りに（して）／を皮切りとして
Examples
中村監督の新作映画は、来月初旬にパリで行われる海外ロケを皮切りに、本格的な撮影に入る。
Director Nakamura's new film will go into full-scale shooting, starting with the overseas location shoot in Paris in early next month.
今回のコンサートツアーは、名古屋で開催されるのを皮切りにして、全国20都市を回る予定です。
This concert tour is scheduled to visit 20 cities across the country, starting with the show in Nagoya.
彼は、この小説がベストセラーになったのを皮切りとして、次々と人気シリーズを生み出していった。
Starting with this novel becoming a bestseller, he went on to produce one popular series after another.
What people say in everyday speech
〜から／〜をきっかけに
"を皮切りに" is a written expression common in news reports and the like, and people hardly say it in everyday conversation. In daily speech Japanese people more often use "〜から（始まって）" or the more casual "〜をきっかけに". For example, the written "海外ロケを皮切りに撮影に入る" becomes "海外ロケから撮影が始まるんだって" in speech.
Used to mean "because it is a special ~, a situation different from usual or from others arises." It is often used to describe social phenomena or objective facts.
Connection PI（普通形）＋とあって ［なA（だ）／N（だ）］
Examples
今日は夏休み最初の日曜とあって、全国の海水浴場は多くの人でにぎわった。
Because it was the first Sunday of the summer vacation, beaches all over the country were crowded with people.
この物件は、静かで交通も便利とあって、入居希望者が殺到している。
Because this property is quiet and conveniently located, applicants wanting to move in are rushing in.
パンダの前足の形は大変珍しいとあって、遺伝学の研究対象として注目されている。
The shape of a panda's front paws is extremely rare, so it is attracting attention as a subject of genetic research.
What people say in everyday speech
〜だから／〜なので
"とあって" is a written expression common in news reports, used to state a cause objectively, and people basically don't say it in everyday chat. In daily speech Japanese people simply say "〜だから" or "〜なので". For example, the written "静かで便利とあって、入居希望者が殺到している" becomes "静かで便利だから、入りたい人がすごく多いんだって" in speech.
Used to mean "~ is a special B that only A has," emphasizing that it is one of a kind and can't be found elsewhere.
Connection N＋ならではの＋N ＊「〜はNならではだ」の形も使われる。
Examples
凍った湖の上でのスケートは、北国ならではの楽しい遊びだ。
Skating on a frozen lake is a fun pastime that is unique to the northern regions.
大企業にはない、中小企業ならではの良さについて考える。
Think about the merits that only small and medium-sized companies have, which big corporations do not.
初詣は神社、結婚式は教会、葬式は寺でする人が珍しくないのは、宗教に寛容な日本ならではだと思う。
It is not unusual for people to go to a shrine for the first visit of the year, have a wedding in a church, and hold a funeral at a temple, and I think this is something only Japan, with its tolerance toward religion, would see.
Used to mean "even more than ~; going a step further beyond ~."
Connection N＋にもまして ＊「いつ／だれ／どこ／何＋にもまして」などの形も使われる。
Examples
選挙を1週間後に控え、記者たちは普段にもまして忙しい。
With the election one week away, reporters are busier than usual.
論文が国際的に評価されてから、彼は以前にもまして研究に打ち込んでいる。
Since his paper received international acclaim, he has thrown himself into his research even more than before.
この山は桜の季節もいいが、それにもまして紅葉の頃が美しい。
This mountain is lovely in the cherry blossom season, but even more beautiful than that is the time of the autumn leaves.
What people say in everyday speech
〜より（もっと）／〜以上に
"にもまして" is a fairly formal written expression, and people rarely say it in everyday conversation. In daily speech Japanese people more often use simple comparisons such as "〜より" or "〜以上に". For example, the written "以前にもまして研究に打ち込んでいる" becomes "前よりもっと研究に力を入れてる" in speech.
Used to mean "the whole range of places, times, etc. up to ~." It is also used to stress a very wide range, "from the tiniest things to the biggest."
Connection N＋に至るまで
Examples
家を買うなら、床下から屋根に至るまで専門家に細かくチェックしてもらったほうがいいですよ。
If you are going to buy a house, you should have an expert check everything carefully, from under the floor to the roof.
この博物館では、明治時代から現在に至るまでのファッションを展示している。
This museum exhibits fashion from the Meiji era all the way to the present.
彼は村上春樹の大ファンで、小説からコラムに至るまですべて目を通しているらしい。
He is a huge fan of Haruki Murakami and apparently has read everything, from the novels to the columns.
竹は、工芸品から衣類・食品に至るまでさまざまな製品に使われている。
Bamboo is used in a wide variety of products, from handicrafts to clothing and food.
「V-る／N＋に至る」は「〜という段階や状態に達する」という意味で使われる。
"V-る/N+に至る" is used to mean "to reach a stage or state of ~."
彼は長年にわたって、サルからヒトに至るまでの進化の過程を研究している。
For many years he has been studying the long evolutionary process from apes to humans.
このドキュメンタリーでは、1人の女性が日本初の介護靴を作るに至った経緯を追った。
This documentary follows the whole story of how one woman came to make Japan's first nursing-care shoes.
社長は責任逃れの言い訳を繰り返していたが、事ここに至っては辞任するしかないだろう。
The company president kept repeating excuses that shifted the blame, but things having come to this, resigning may be the only option.
What people say in everyday speech
〜から〜まで全部／〜まで
"に至るまで" has a strongly written tone and is often used in news and explanatory writing to stress that the range is very wide and includes everything up to ~. It is rarely used in everyday speech, where Japanese people usually say simply "〜から〜まで全部" or just use "〜まで". For example, the written "小さな子どもに至るまで楽しめる" becomes "小さい子どもまでみんな楽しめる" in speech.
Used to mean "taking A (one example, the first thing one notices, or not the most important part) as an example, everything is B," and also to emphasize how extreme B is by citing A as an example.
Connection N＋からして
Examples
有名デパートの店員は、言葉遣いからして丁寧だ。
The staff of a famous department store are polite, starting with their very choice of words.
さすが元バレリーナ。立っている姿からして美しい。
As you would expect from a former ballerina, even the way she stands is beautiful.
グルメの友人は、朝食のパンからして有名店のものを選ぶ。
My gourmet friend chooses a famous shop's bread even for breakfast.
このパソコンは古すぎる。起動にかかる時間からして最新機種の3倍以上だ。
This computer is far too old. Just the time it takes to start up is more than three times that of the latest model.