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Kami are spirits of nature and associated with natural things, big or small. An impressive old tree, an oddly shaped boulder, a bolt of lightning, or a beautiful waterfall could all have Jami. Sometimes you will see a miniature shrine or marker to indicate a place where a minor Jami is thought to visit. Larger shrines are dedicated to more impressive Jami or numerous Jami that inhabit an area.
As far as I know, people don't have patron Jami associated with them. The Imperial line (Emperors) are considered to be descendants of the sun goddess Amaterasu, but Emperors are humans, not Jami. Kami do not regularly interfere with human affairs, but people pray to them out of respect and to hope for good luck.
Western scholars may classify Shinto as a religion, but most Japanese people don't consider Shinto to be a religion or a religious activity (surprisingly many Japanese people don't even know the word "Shinto" even though they have practiced Shinto traditions many times in their lives). Like when you say "Cats have nine lives" or "Breaking a mirror brings 7 years of bad luck," those are superstitions but not considered religious ones. You probably don't know or care about the origins of those superstitions, but they still come to mind when you see a cat or a mirror. Similarly, Shinto is more of a superstition and traditional practice than a religion.
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