It's not tacky at all, in my opinion--nor do I feel that you need a really intimate knowledge of Japan to use them. We don't require that of people who use French names, after all. If someone's all "I love
Romain!" people are supportive, and no one insinuates that if they aren't full-blooded Frenchman, they have no right to use it. So why do we get that way about Japanese, Chinese, African, etc, names?
It seems ridiculous to me.
Array (who likes quite a few Japanese names)
The dogs on main street howl
`Cause they understand
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister, I ain't a boy--no I'm a man,
And I believe in a promised land.