You are making perfect sense denmarkguy and it is a difficult feeling to explain in words. Nostalgia and longing are not doing it justice, the feeling is very complex but your Japanese saying does a good job at trying to convey it.

Having left your country of birth must certainly awaken some of these "mono no aware" feelings. I hope some of my posts from Denmark will bring you back in time once in a while because this strange feeling is actually quite insightful.

ronni