In Japan, at some houses or in Buddhist temples, you will notice an old traditional alternative to the modern downspout: kusari-doi, “chain-gutters” or “rain-chains", metallic strings of vertically arranged holed cups.

It is an ingenious and very decorative solution, the water from the roof runs beautifully along the rain-chain, so the kusari-doi is often made from ornate cups or chain links. I have admired many times the water feature created during rainfalls, like when I took this photo, during a summer torrential rain that caught me at the Gokokusan Tenno-ji from Yanaka, Tokyo.

Gokokusan Tenno-ji Temple, Tokyo

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Steep alley in Higashiyama, Kyoto