Blake Rankin is a Makaibari supporter from the west coast of America. He has a very successful tea and herbal company called Granum. Blake was a Zen Buddhist in Japan for many years. He gave up being a monk to marry a very beautiful Japanese lady and returned to USA. Unfortunately, after they had two children, the couple's marriage ended in divorce and Blake remarried. Both Blake's families live close to each other, and he enjoys the company of all his children – as well as selling Makaibari teas.

When work and life pressures became excessive, Blake visited Makaibari to relax and recharge himself. He had great spiritual empathy with both the land and the people here, and healed rapidly.

On his last visit to Makaibari, he smelled the soil and declared, ‘This is land fit to sleep on!’. Immediately, we asked him to prove his word. Blake spent the night in the tea plantation with the lurking threat of poisonous king cobras, panthers and nocturnal visits from other animals. He was not bothered and slept the night on the ground, awakening very refreshed the next morning. We were all amazed. Mulching was the simple act that had created this miracle. Blake's experience was the ultimate affirmation of the statement that healthy soil means healthy mankind. Everyone at Makaibari respects and loves this great man who showed us what a special place our efforts have created – a place where all can coexist harmoniously.