Jester,
I don't believe IFR counts as instrument flying. As you well know, IFR does not = IMC (simulated IMC) and I think you can only log instrument flying in IMC (sim IMC). So, I agree with your answer that under the hood the OP can log night and simulated instrument flying and in cloud he can log night and actual instrument flying but do not agree with the IFR = instrument flying in the log book.
Taken to its extremes, you are suggesting that a typical airline flight (IFR) should al be instrument time. So my taxying time, takeoff (on a fine day), landing (on a fine day) etc are all counted as instrument? What about in the cruise on top of cloud while I'm reading my newspaper and eating those lovely flight crew meals
I do not believe this is correct.
In my mind, if it's night time you log night. If you fly in cloud/simulated cloud, you log actual/simulated instrument. IFR, I think, has nothing to do with it.