Hi,
Yes , plant it in a large pot then you can move it around to suit the acer and to please your self.
George

Here is a link that might be useful: George's Japanese Garden

Well, maybe you have to shade it and plant in a quiet area on your site and maybe you don't. Talk to some other people in your neck of the woods who know about Japanese maples. Walk or drive around town and look for existing, established specimens, note what conditions they appear to be growing in.

somewhere shady and near the gardenweb maple forum.

We have a Bloodgood-type in full sun here in the PNW... we figure it's at least 30 years old, probably older, and was neglected for years (surrounded by junipers, which we've pulled), including little to no summer water (we don't get real summer rains, maybe 1/4-1/2" a month). Once we got the junipers out and cleaned it up we realized it's a beauty and it's thriving. But your sun is going to be hotter and more intense than in our area, so I don't know how that would translate. (We do get almost non-stop sun from late June to September but are farther north than you). I agree with the idea of looking around your area for others to see where they're planted. And I have a few Japanese maples in pots; as mentioned, they can be moved around, and once you figure out the ideal spot, you can plant it if you like. Good luck!

I planted a 5 foot Bloodgood in my west-facing front yard last year. It gets hot afternoon sun (and the wind from any storm hits it dead-on) but it is doing just fine. I did put Soil-moist in the planting hole and I keep it watered regularly.