This has a lot of replies to a lot of people and I'm sorry. But I have a lot of ferverent opinions about David.
two_heads_talking
I wonder how much all this is word play to him? While it might make no sense to us, or even offend our senses, it seems he actually put alot of thought (warrented or unwarrented) behind his silly name.
Actually, I seem to remember that he said in an interview that he picked the kanji within the first year or so of being in Japan, when he didn't know much Japanese. Most people who see the Kanji will have no idea how to pronounce it, and will mostly pronounce it wrong (as it combines おん and くん yomis in the same word), thus making it kind of useless as a name. For me it just seems like 下手当て字
clay
From what little I know of him (from watching a video interview) he just strikes me as someone wanting to stir things up and damn the consequences.
That's actually the same opinion I got of him. He seems to thrive on the attention he gets from being a naturalized Japanese citizen. I've run into a lot of naturalized citizens (one is mayor of his town up in Hida), as well as seen a number on TV in interviews, and most people just shrug it off as no big deal. David is the only person I have seen that actively tries to flaunt the fact that he was naturalized, and seems to go around Japan trying to start controvercy at every turn.
And while I understand some of his points and issues for doing so, I usually don't agree with the way he goes about it, picking fights with bars and hotels just because he can.
Sometimes it seems like he's just having a bad day and wants to take it out on the Japanese contingent around him who is not used to having white Japanese citzens around.
I've been in the hotel situation that was posted on this site (requirement to see a passport) a number of times, and usually skirting this issue is really easy. You just say that you're a Japanese resident, and you're done. You fill out the form like everyone else and go up to your room. Freaking out because someone mistakenly assumed you're a foreigner is just obnoxious.
Yudan Taiteki
It's understandable that non-citizens would be required to do that, but to make *only* citizens of non-Japanese descent carry ID cards is a different matter.
Where did you get that idea? If you are a Japanese citizen, you don't have a mandatory ID. To avoid hassle, you might want to carry a drivers license that states that you are Japanese on it, but it's by no means manditory.
Now, if you want to do things like board a plane, drive a car, or do any number of other things, than yes, you do need an ID, whether you are Japanese or not. It's the same in every country.
EDIT: I just want to finish by kind of responding to what JT said:
I don't think that David (debito's) cause is a bad one -- I think it is very admirable. I just dislike the way that he goes about it. I think there are better ways to influence change than going around yelling at people.