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t is scene that has barely changed in the 1,250 years the Hadaka Matsuri, or the Naked Festival, has been taking place at the Konomiya Shrine, in central Japan. But this year there is a change - a big one. Away from the men's huddle, a group are about to become the first women to ever take part. The women gathered here know they are making history. Finding room in traditionally male-dominated spaces is difficult anywhere, but in Japan - which last year ranked 125 out of 146 on the World Economic Forum's gender gap index - it is particularly hard. ADVERTISEMENT Not that they weren't always there. "In the background, women have always worked very hard to support the men in the festival," explains Atsuko Tamakoshi, whose family has been working at the Konomiya festival for generations.