Rain chains (Japanese: 鎖樋, kusari doi, literally "chain-gutter") are alternatives to a downspout. They are widely used in Japan. Their purpose is largely decorative, to make a water feature out of the transport of rainwater from the guttering downwards to a drain or to a storage container. (Rainwater is sometimes collected for household usage.) They can be found on temples.[1]
Rain chains are typically either a series of metal cups, chained together with a hole in the bottom of each, or chain links that span vertically.[1] Rain water run-off gets distributed from a rooftop gutter downward through the rain chain.