What, for you, are some of Kyoto's hidden attractions that tourists don't know about? For example, neighborhoods, events or experiences?

The three annual used booksales

The many flea/free markets

The northeast of the city where the botanical garden, Kamigamo-jinja and the Takaragaike are--mostly locals, low key and a tremendous difference from the more mobbed districts

If you have a car, some of the outlying districts--Hiei-zan, Ohara, Kurama and Takao

Hitting even the most popular districts at dawn when 90% of the tourists are still asleep

Hiking in the hills above Arashi/Higashiyama, again where 90% never venture

Realizing that Kyoto is a -fu not merely a -shi. You own wheels help here. From Uji and further south along the border with Nara, all the way to the Sea of Japan--Miyazu, Maizuru, the Tango-hantou etc.

Wild horses couldn't drag the names out of me on a public forum! Keep them secret, keep them safe ;)

In all seriousness, since a lot of stuff in Kyoto city has a long history, they are in the guide books--but get skipped in favor of Instagrammable, more convenient locations. Japanese history buffs who want to see the garden Oda Nobunaga made to curry favor with the last Ashikaga shogun, or pilgrims who want to visit a shrine dedicated to the god of acting to find the names of their favorite celebs on ema tablets there, do trickle into the "lesser-known" areas (there I gave some hints!)

My advice: study up on Japanese history as it pertains to the Kyoto city area and you will naturally find places that still exist today that you can check out, not all of them enjoy the same fame among tourists today that they had in the past, so you can find "obscure" but historically interesting places.

Anywhere but the main attractions please. Unless you enjoy jostling with hoards of Chinese who have no respect for basic manners

Please keep them secret. When you need to make this public, it means there is nothing left!

They are in the mountains surrounding the city...but as others have said....my lips are sealed.

I would recommend reading an easy history book like Yoshikawa Eiji’s ‘The Heike Story’ before you visit.

With 1,000 years of history, old Kyoto came alive for me, in the gardens, the buildings and even in the street names today. Magic!