Leisure constraints “limit the formation of leisure preferences and... inhibit or prohibit participation and enjoyment in leisure (Jackson, 1991, p. 279). In 1991, Crawford, Jackson, and Godbey developed a hierarchical model of leisure constraints that included three types: interpersonal (eg, lack of appropriate partners), intrapersonal (eg, lack of skill, too much stress), and structural (eg, excessive cost, lack of availability). Since leisure constraints research has been focused on North America the purpose of this study is to examine the validity of the hierarchical model of leisure constraints in two societies outside of North America, Japan and China. These countries are culturally quite different from the US and Canada but Japan, like both the US and Canada, is a developed nation while China, on the other hand, is a developing country. Six Japanese couples and six Chinese couples who range in age from approximately 20-40 years old were interviewed about their leisure and what they perceive to be constraints to their leisure. Data was analyzed in order to determine whether or not the hierarchical model of leisure constraints can guide crosscultural research and in both developed and developing nations. In addition, we attempted to determine if culture itself was in important constraint category.