If 2025 was the year of rain barrels, 2026 is fast shaping up to be the year of the rain chain. Once upon a time, it was a centuries-old Japanese garden feature that barely anyone had heard of in the USA. Now, though? Well, it’s cropping up everywhere and all over our social feeds, and for good reason. On paper, the concept of rain chains is simple enough; instead of sending rainwater down a plain downpipe, they instead guide that liquid gold gently through a series of cups, links, or sculptural chains and into a water butt or rain barrel.…