The tightly packed houses show the culture of the Japanese people in that they supported each other with the goods they all made, and they had to be living close together to work and produce goods. They couldn't rely on other people to bring them food and supplies, because they were isolated like so, shown in that there are no other houses visible in the picture, only the one village.

We think this picture is from the perspective of the Japanese people shown in the picture, because it represents their isolation and how it affected them. If it were drawn from the point of view of an emperor or high-ranked individual, it would probably show the houses more spread out, and less people working, because the shoguns had expected the economy to flourish for all people during the isolation period, in reality only the already rich benefited economically, while the workers and farmers grew steadily poorer.

The farmers and crowded village represent culture, society and identity. To produce large amounts of rice efficiently and successfully they worked to together. This shows their culture, as a hard working team. They had to work together to meet a quota because they could not rely on the outside world to supply them.

We think this picture is from the point of view of the farmers, because it represents their isolation and need to work together. If this was showing the belongings/ life of a higher ranked individual, it would probably show the houses made of more solid material, not straw and organic material; like the ones used by the farmers. There would also be less people working and more space between houses and agriculture.

http://www.hokusaionline.co.uk/code/mount_fuji_pages/fuji25.html

http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/faculty/fiske/135b/japan.htm

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/02/07/arts/openings-in-tokyo/kabuki-theaters-during-the-edo-period/#.VHugsIux-M4

http://www.suntory.com/culture-sports/sma/collections/a49.html

http://japansgeography.weebly.com/index.html

http://www.traveltips.usatoday.com/landforms-japan-35872.html

Their art also represents their citizenship and identity very much. Simply the way the artist chooses to show the scene or event shows something about their citizenship and identity, because the art represents their point of view. In this picture, it is clear that they consider Kabuki to be part of their identity from the many people gathered around to watch, their happy facial expressions, and the way everyone is seated and acting casually, as if the plays are everyday and something they are used to, and also in the fact that someone bothered to paint it.

The way the Emperor and Bafuku governed Japan drastically changed the people's sense of citizenship and identity. Under this system, the isolation laws were put in place, and Japan's isolation very much changed the citizenship and identity of the citizens of Japan. This is a picture of Matthew Perry while he was visiting Japan (the western people on the far left). While he was visiting, he and his companions' physical appearance, apparel, and ways of life were considered strange and were intensely scrutinized. This shows how the Japanese identify themselves based on their common history and heritage, and even today they are relatively isolated in terms of their culture. Less than 1% of Japan's population is classified as non-Japanese, and immigration laws are strictly regulated.

This picture represents the arrival of Matthew Perry and the discovery of how much had changed while Japan was isolated. It would be from the point of view of the Japanese people in general, because the picture distinctly shows the differences between the western people and the Japanese. Their facial features, dress and demeanour are all clearly shown in order to demonstrate that the westerners are clearly outsiders. This shows their worldview because it shows how they see the outside world as different and strange, but they are still willing to learn about it.

The geographical positioning of japan may have inspired the isolation laws as well. Because Japan is very close to big countries such as Russia and China, being on an island isolation laws may have seemed as a good way to protect the country from invasion. The Geographical isolation also meant not a lot of people coming in, which meant their society didn't change much and therefore their identity changed very little, spurring the desire to keep it that way. The geography of Japan made the isolation laws possible, which greatly changed their identity and citizenship greatly.

Travel, trade and interaction were made challenging by the vast and innumerable mountain ranges throughout Japan. many of these mountains follow the curve of one of the multitude of tectonic plates. Historically, the island formed as one tectonic plate shifted in relationship to the adjacent plate, causing the earth to buckle upward out of the ocean. Japan's varied landforms (mountain ranges, basins, plains and valleys) all reflect this process. Japan also has numerous rivers flowing throughout the land.