necoandjeff wrote:
> But Kevin is right in the sense that, most often, the name
> (i.e. the phonetic name) is chosen first, and then kanji are chosen from
> among several standard ways of writing the phonetic name.

Which is nothing like what Kevin said, "They don't mean shit" I 
seem to recall. Stroke count, aesthetics, meanings, inherited 
kanji all are often important, which means that the kanji ARE 
important.


> The meaning of
> individual kanji often plays a peripheral role, if any.
> 

Try naming your daughter akumako and see how peripheral it is.