Why did the meiji reformers want to modernize japan?
to colonize weaker nations in southeast asia
to allow western nations to protect them in trade negotiations
to compete with the economies and military of western nations
to replace traditional practices with western culture

these conditions long with a short growing season made farming difficult.

explanation:

the north has a climate of warm summers and snowy cold winters. the terrain is rocky, hilly, and not good for farming.

nothing certain is known about what happened, but it seems that the country declined gradually, perhaps due to bad government, or, more likely, due to a series of bad harvests, which resulted in widespread and recurrent famine.