Nice article Justin and some good advice
.
The only thing I'd add is that some of the directories you ping may be specialized, so instead of copy/pasting a generic ping list, it's a good idea to do a little bit of footwork and make sure the site you're pinging is actually targeted to your blog.
For instance, some of the ping sites you've listed cater exclusively to Japanese blogs. Some Japanese ping sites will accept weblogs written in English, but some will blacklist the blog.
~ Teli