I observed the exact same thing, from the opposite perspective. I visited Japan recently and despite eating out a ton I didn't gain much if any weight at all. I can only assume that was thanks to all the walking we were doing. Japanese food is full of salt and sugar too. Meanwhile in America I have to exercise every day if I want to eat over 1500kcal. Like you said, I hop in the car just to go to the store 5 min away. It's not even particularly safe to walk around in my neighborhood, so more time at the gym will have to do.
I observed the exact same thing, from the opposite perspective. I visited Japan recently and despite eating out a ton I didn't gain much if any weight at all. I can only assume that was thanks to all the walking we were doing. Japanese food is full of salt and sugar too. Meanwhile in America I have to exercise every day if I want to eat over 1500kcal. Like you said, I hop in the car just to go to the store 5 min away. It's not even particularly safe to walk around in my neighborhood, so more time at the gym will have to do.