The direct afternoon sun would be the only thing I would worry about. Some varieties can tolerate the full sun but many can show some leaf burn in the heat of summer. I live in S. Car. and I have seen many trees in full sun all day that seem to do fine but with a little scorching on the leaves.

There are dozens of japanese maple cultivars that never get above 5 ft tall and wide. There are also hundreds of cultivars that get over 20 ft high over 10 ft wide so you must choose your variety carefully. There are just to many varieties (around 1000) to give you a definite answer on what to get. It would be better to find out what is available in your area, then narrow down the choices with a little research.

Hi elpenn. If you can, try to make it out to Eastwoods Nursery in Washington, VA. Most of their in ground maples get full sun all day long on a mountain with little or no sunburn. Only the more delicate varieties get sunburned after getting established in northern VA.

I agree with Matt's advice. Pick how tall of a tree you would like first. Did you want a weeping Japanese maple or an upright? Check out Eastwoods' homepage since they're at least in the same state.

Here is a link that might be useful: Eastwoods Nursery