Kyoto is easy until the first bus is full and a tour group fills Kinkaku-ji. Plan the 8am; eat the rest slowly.
IC card on buses
Suica or Pasmo works. The city bus is how you reach northern temples. Taxis add up. Google Maps is accurate here.
Shoes and shrines
Slip-ons. You will remove shoes. Cover tattoos in some onsen if you add a bath day. Quiet voices in temple precincts.
Vegetarian and dashi
Shojin-ryori is the Buddhist vegetarian tradition. Ask for no fish stock. Konbini onigiri: umeboshi is usually safe; check fillings.
Gion is not a zoo
Do not block Hanamikoji for a photograph of a working geiko or maiko. That is the rule that keeps the street worth walking.