If you want to travel to a unique place to see some fall leaves, you might want to visit Mt. Koya in Japan. Koyasan is home to 117 temples（寺庙）. In the fall, the Japanese maple （枫树）leaves turn deep red and orange colours. Among them are the 1,200-year-old temples and halls that were designed by Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism.
Visitors to Koyasan can spend the night at a temple. For dinner there is traditional Buddhist food called shojin-ryori. In the evening you can enjoy the gardens or relax in the baths before bed. The rooms have the paper doors typical of traditional Japanese buildings, often with a garden view. If you wake up early, there is a morning prayer（祈祷）at 6 a. m. and anyone can join before heading to breakfast.
In the centre of the temples is a cemetery（墓地）. As you walk on the path you'll see a deep well. The legend says that if you can see your face clearly in the water, you will live a long life. Further on there is a special stone which they say is as heavy as your crimes. You can try to liftit with one hand to see how heavy it is!
As you pass through the cemetery you will see some small stone men wearing bibs（围裙）and hats to keep them warm in the cold air. These are called Jizo, and they stay between Earth and the afterworld. They protect travellers, pregnant women, and also young children and babies before birth, during life, and after death. The reason they wear red bibs is because of their connection with the pronunciation of baby in Japanese.
Some of the monks at the temples speak English, and there are English-speaking guides who do tours of the cemetery, so you can practise your English on your trip.
