SECRET KYOTO: 40 Killer Underrated and Hidden Gems

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A Zen temple with excellent rail access, yet often overlooked by tourists. Its main draw is the long wooden Tsutenkyo Bridge, offering a sensation of walking across treetops, especially beautiful from outside. It evokes a Kiyomizu Temple vibe without the crowds. The Hojo Rock Garden, with its unique mix of patterns, moss, pebbles, and large rocks, adds to the mysterious experience.

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My favorite eatery in Kyoto, offering calming views of the Kamo River and a relaxed atmosphere. It's perfect for lunch or breakfast, with a menu that caters to both vegans and meat-eaters. The staff are incredibly friendly, and you'll leave feeling refreshed.

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A small, perfectly formed temple known for its magnificent thatched roof over the entrance gate. After passing through, you're flanked by two sculpted sand mounds meant to purify visitors, which are unique compared to other Kyoto sand gardens. The grounds also feature a pond, offering simple beauty and a sense of peace and tranquility.

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A cafe nicknamed 'mountain residence in the city,' built in the early 20th century by Mojiro Tanagara for tea ceremonies. It's literally hidden in the middle of the woods, offering a magical and relaxing experience. The menu is limited to drinks and small snacks, and opening hours are short, but it's worth the uphill hike to find this tranquil spot.

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A fun and often overlooked addition to the Kamo River, featuring stepping stones just north of the Nijo Bridge. You can use them to cross the river or simply enjoy watching others. It's a delightful spot for a brief, active diversion.

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A small branch of the prestigious Nakamura Tokichi tea company, founded in 1854, conveniently located in Kyoto Station. It's famous for its tea and tea-flavored desserts, offering a less crowded alternative to its main branch in Uji. You can find it opposite the west gate, up the escalator.

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A free viewing platform tucked away at the end of Ramen Koji on the 10th floor of Kyoto Station. It stretches almost the entire length of the station front, offering incredible views of the city below. It's worth visiting at twilight to observe rush hour and enjoy the light show that runs down the tunnel.

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A traditional townscape in Arashiyama, featuring thatched farmhouses and tiled machiya townhouses. It's a specially protected area where the overall look of the buildings is maintained, offering a trip back in time. Many houses are now restaurants, which is convenient after the 15-minute walk from Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.

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Possibly my all-time favorite temple in Japan, located in Arashiyama. It's small, perfectly formed, and incredibly beautiful, boasting the best moss gardens among Kyoto's temples. It's often deserted, allowing for a peaceful and solitary experience. For a low investment of a 13-minute stroll, you get a moss garden, moss exhibition, and moss on the roof.

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A hidden tonkatsu restaurant with a simple doorway, wedged between a tea shop and an economy restaurant. It serves some of the tastiest tonkatsu in Japan, made with the finest pork sourced from the best producers. They offer unlimited refills of cabbage and rice, and the service is stellar.

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The closest thing you'll find to your own private bamboo forest in Kyoto, located near Higashi Muko station. It offers peace and quiet, unlike the crowded Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. The walking path stretches almost 2 km, providing plenty of space to spread out and enjoy the forest. You can often see bamboo farmers maintaining the forest, adding to the authentic experience.

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A magnificent temple tucked away in the northeast of Kyoto, sitting on the side of a mountain. It's peaceful and has a traditional Kyoto atmosphere, despite being a strenuous walk from Nanzenji. A unique feature is traversing between buildings via covered wooden staircases in socks. It also has a two-tiered Tahoto Pagoda and exquisite hidden gardens, including the Hojo Pond. The main reason to visit is the wonderful panorama of the city from its higher reaches.

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A smaller sub-temple of Nanzenji, featuring an impeccably kept rock garden that looks best during autumn leaf season. You can perch on the side of the building to breathe in the scene, which feels uncrowded even mid-morning. It offers a smorgasbord of Kyoto's best, including luscious moss, a tiny bamboo grove, carp in a pond, and photogenic spots, making it an unmissable secret garden.

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The last surviving part of Kyoto's tram network, offering an up-close glimpse into local life with lines running right next to people's houses. It's a relaxing alternative route to Arashiyama, starting west of the city center in Shijoomiya and winding through residential outskirts. Its old-fashioned charm makes it a delightful experience.

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A magnificent art installation at Arashiyama Station, featuring around 600 clear cylinders filled with kimono fabric in 32 traditional Kyo-Yuzen designs. These decorated poles resemble a forest along a winding path leading to the Dragon Pond, where you can throw coins for good luck. It's a brilliant mix of traditional culture and modern art, looking spectacular day and night, with free entry.

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A mysterious temple in Arashiyama, known for its eerie vibe created by around 8,000 stone images. These stones were set down in the 9th century for the souls of the deceased who had no next of kin. It's unlike any other temple in Kyoto and easily worth the 30-minute walk from the main street.

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A superb art deco building dating back to 1928, with a cafe in the basement offering a solid lunch menu. The atmosphere is chilled out, service is great, and an English menu is available. At night, they host live music events, making it a great after-hours spot.

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A grand staircase in Kyoto Station that comes alive with LED trickery in the late afternoon or evening, displaying varying designs and messages throughout the year. It's a unique sight to admire up close or from afar before catching a train.

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A stunning and understated World Heritage site in Uji, featured on the back of the 10 yen coin. It's recommended to do a whole circuit of the pond to admire the Phoenix Hall from different angles before taking photos, as there are great hidden vantage points. It's a wonderful spot during autumn leaf season, often missed by first-timers due to the train journey.

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A flea market held at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine on the 25th of every month, absolutely sardine with handicrafts, used kimono, antiques, ceramics, ornaments, and clothes. It's overwhelming with stalls, offering extraordinary souvenirs and a mandatory set of food stalls. It continues into the evening, providing an interesting way to see everyday life and meet locals.

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One of Kyoto's World Heritage Collection, and one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan, dating back to the 7th century. It's a stellar example of Heian architecture, offering an authentic Kyoto vibe without feeling too touristy. The vast approach path with an enormous tree canopy and two streams gives it a remote countryside feel.

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A popular hangout for locals where the Kamo and Takano rivers meet, offering a superb vantage point for people-watching and checking out wildlife. It features unique turtle-shaped stepping stones that cross both rivers just before they converge, providing double the fun compared to other river crossings.

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An expansive Zen temple complex that immerses you in a world of temples within temples, exquisite stone pathways, and immaculate gardens. With over 20 sub-temples, only four have regular opening hours, but part of the fun is peering into the closed ones. It feels like a hidden city, offering a magical, otherworldly atmosphere and a true Kyoto feeling without crowds.

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A temple set in a sleepy residential part of the city, outrageously unnoticed, offering an overwhelming sense of calm. It's known as Daruma-dera because it's heaving with around 8,000 Daruma dolls, from tiny to gargantuan, hiding in every spot. The Darumado Hall is filled with a spectacular congregation of these tubby figures.

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A hidden wonderland reached by a dinky train ride on the Eizan Railway. It offers an incredible, jaw-dropping backdrop that makes time slow down. You can lay on tatami mats and stare at the lush green foliage, carp meandering through the pond, a stone bridge, and moss taking over the garden. It's a perfect spot to bathe in tranquility, especially in September with few visitors.

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A rare dining spot that truly lives up to its name, hidden in the sleepy back streets near the Imperial Palace grounds. The vibe is so laid-back that your heart rate will slow down. It's a favorite among locals, stylish yet homely, with a lost-in-time feel, and you won't feel hurried while eating.

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An unexpected promenade along the Horikawa River, offering a contemplative stroll away from busy streets. It features stepping stones, big and small waterfalls, and is a fantastic spot for viewing cherry blossoms in season. The river is home to a wide variety of white and pink double-flowered cherry trees, and you won't have to jostle with crowds.

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A Zen temple in Uji, dating back to the early 13th century and relocated here in 1648. It politely prods you to explore, revealing elegance at every turn and gorgeous angles to admire. It features an exquisite garden set against the foot of the mountain, complete with a pagoda, meticulously pruned trees, and foliage, plus a refreshing breeze from its elevated location.

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A Zen temple set up in 1601 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, offering a remarkably peaceful and isolated feeling. The entrance path screams quality with carefully clipped trees, pebble-edged stone paths, and luscious moss. Inside, you'll find pristine white gravel pathways, expansive moss gardens with rustic stone lanterns, and a tatami spot to relax. It also boasts a private bamboo grove with empty space and quiet air.

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A temple where scenery is taken to the next level, or three of them, as its landscape garden is split across multiple tiers, each with its own atmosphere. The highest level has a sand garden and maple trees, with a tatami spot for breaks. The building's open design gives an extraordinary feeling of openness. The next level has a pond with carp and a tea house, while the lowest level feels like a hidden garden with tall trees.

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The mausoleum of Emperor Meiji, offering unparalleled peace and tranquility. Unlike the epic shrine in Tokyo, this site receives almost no visitors. The towering trees deaden all sound as you journey along the seemingly endless curved path, making it a meditative walk. The minimalist design, especially the epic staircase lined by the forest, is striking. His final resting place is understated, visible in the distance at the end of a sand path through torii gates.

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A hidden castle, more known among Kyoto's dog owners than international tourists. It's a replica of the original castle built for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, intended as his retirement pad. Although the interior is off-limits due to earthquake proofing, the exterior and small, well-maintained garden offer endless angles for appreciating its design. It's the nearest you'll get to a private castle visit, especially at sunset.

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A scenic journey up Mount Hiei, offering a ride that's half scenic journey, half quiet thrill. The route involves two different modes: a tram pulled up a steep slope by a cable pulley system, and then a gondola for the final ascent. It's a great spot for seeing autumn colors and offers incredible vistas of northern Kyoto. Limited space ensures a less crowded experience.

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A scintillating delight hidden at the top of Mount Hiei, offering a brilliant mashup of impressionist art and gardens that glisten with color throughout the year. It features recreations of impressionist scenes, notably Monet's water lilies, making it feel like Monet's garden at Giverny was airlifted to a Kyoto mountaintop. With 1,500 types of flowers, you can visit from April to November.

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A quirky yet soothing oasis of calm in northern Kyoto, located along the relatively busy Imadegawa Street and across from Demachiyanagi station. It's completely vegan and gluten-free, making it enjoyable for everyone. The window seats facing the Kamo Delta offer partial hidden views for people-watching or gazing at mountains. They offer a limited menu of lunch options, snacks, and drinks, all of excellent quality.

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A delightfully deserted Rinzai Temple complex near Hanzono station, truly expansive with exquisite stone pathways for a journey to tranquility. Getting lost is part of the allure, and its enormous size ensures solitude. It's deeply embedded in everyday Kyoto life, allowing you to spot locals using shortcuts and even glimpse monks. With 46 sub-temples and sculpted gardens, it's recommended to pick an entrance that piques your interest.

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A cafe hideout that merges seamlessly into the forest around Uji Botanical Garden. Inside, the wooden structure and ceramic tiles create an atmosphere more like the south of France than Kyoto. The menu is heavily weighted towards European-style cuisine, with a great selection of desserts and drinks. In warmer months, you can sit on the deck to soak up nature's green glow and cooling breeze; in cooler weather, window tables offer that dining-in-the-forest feeling.

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A Buddhist monastery and temple complex on Mount Hiei, a UNESCO World Heritage site that surprisingly sees no crowds. Dating back to the end of the 8th century, it's one of Japan's most significant monasteries and the center for Kaihogyo (marathon monks). The complex is spread across three main areas, with the most important buildings in the To-do (East Pagoda) section. It's a great place to reflect on history and enjoy seclusion in the forest.