Interest in "Deep Thinking Hobbies" and "Real Emotional Experiences" Rises Against the Backdrop of the AI Era: GMO Shuminavi Announces "Rapidly Rising Hobby Categories Ranking for 2026" in Time for "Hobby Day" on April 3
GMO Shuminavi released its 2026 hobby trends ranking, showing significant growth in 'Liberal Arts' (+32.8%) and 'Theater/Entertainment' (+29.7%). This indicates a shift towards deep thinking and real experiences in the AI era.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 3, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 05:00 (425h 28m after Collected)
GMO Shuminavi Inc. (*1) of the GMO Internet Group (President and CEO: Yusuke Ito; hereinafter referred to as GMO Shuminavi) will announce the "Trending Hobby Categories Rapid Rise Ranking" based on viewing data from January to February 2026 on "Shuminavi byGMO," a platform for finding hobbies and learning "experiences" and "classes," comparing it with the same period last year (January to February 2025), in conjunction with "Hobby Day" on April 3.
As a result of the survey, the genre with the largest growth in views was "Liberal Arts" (+32.8% year-on-year), followed by "Theater/Entertainment" (+29.7% year-on-year). GMO Shuminavi observes that as generative AI permeates every aspect of daily life, there is a rapidly growing interest in "thinking deeply with one's own head" and "gaining emotional inspiration from actual stages and people's expressions."
(*1) GMO Shuminavi is a consolidated company of GMO Media, Inc.
[Survey Summary]
Comparing the viewing data from January to February 2026 with the same period last year, 15 out of the 18 categories listed on "Shuminavi byGMO" recorded positive year-on-year growth, revealing that interest in hobbies and lessons is expanding across a wide range of categories.
Among them, the highest growth rate was seen in "Liberal Arts" (+32.8%), with a noticeably increased demand for genres that require "thinking deeply with one's own head," such as philosophy, history, and art. This was followed by "Theater/Entertainment" (+29.7%), a result that shows growing attention to hobbies seeking "raw emotions" and "real human-to-human expression" that AI cannot replace.
■ Survey Outline
Target of Survey: Viewing data on "Shuminavi byGMO"
Survey Period: January - February 2026 / January - February 2025
Aggregation Method: Comparison based on the total number of views by combining the PVs of sub-genres belonging to major categories.
Sub-genres (14 genres) that saw a rapid increase in views due to temporary promotions, etc., were excluded from the survey.
Major Categories: 18 categories including Instruments/Music (Voice Training), English/Languages, Handmade/Crafts, Dance, Culture/Traditions, Gardening/Flowers/DIY, Martial Arts/Combat Sports, Cooking/Gourmet (Baking/Bread Making), Beauty/Health, Painting/Drawing/Ceramics, Yoga/Fitness (Pilates), Sports/Outdoors, IT/Web/Internet, Fortune-telling/Psychology/Therapy, Photography/Video, Pets, Liberal Arts, and Theater/Entertainment.
Sub-genres: Approximately 290 finely divided genres within each category
(Example: English/English Conversation, French, German, etc. within the "English/Languages" category)
[Survey Results]
As a result of the survey, the genre with the largest growth in views was "Liberal Arts" (+32.8% year-on-year), followed by "Theater/Entertainment" (+29.7% year-on-year). GMO Shuminavi observes that as generative AI permeates every aspect of daily life, there is a rapidly growing interest in "thinking deeply with one's own head" and "gaining emotional inspiration from actual stages and people's expressions."
(*1) GMO Shuminavi is a consolidated company of GMO Media, Inc.
[Survey Summary]
Comparing the viewing data from January to February 2026 with the same period last year, 15 out of the 18 categories listed on "Shuminavi byGMO" recorded positive year-on-year growth, revealing that interest in hobbies and lessons is expanding across a wide range of categories.
Among them, the highest growth rate was seen in "Liberal Arts" (+32.8%), with a noticeably increased demand for genres that require "thinking deeply with one's own head," such as philosophy, history, and art. This was followed by "Theater/Entertainment" (+29.7%), a result that shows growing attention to hobbies seeking "raw emotions" and "real human-to-human expression" that AI cannot replace.
■ Survey Outline
Target of Survey: Viewing data on "Shuminavi byGMO"
Survey Period: January - February 2026 / January - February 2025
Aggregation Method: Comparison based on the total number of views by combining the PVs of sub-genres belonging to major categories.
Sub-genres (14 genres) that saw a rapid increase in views due to temporary promotions, etc., were excluded from the survey.
Major Categories: 18 categories including Instruments/Music (Voice Training), English/Languages, Handmade/Crafts, Dance, Culture/Traditions, Gardening/Flowers/DIY, Martial Arts/Combat Sports, Cooking/Gourmet (Baking/Bread Making), Beauty/Health, Painting/Drawing/Ceramics, Yoga/Fitness (Pilates), Sports/Outdoors, IT/Web/Internet, Fortune-telling/Psychology/Therapy, Photography/Video, Pets, Liberal Arts, and Theater/Entertainment.
Sub-genres: Approximately 290 finely divided genres within each category
(Example: English/English Conversation, French, German, etc. within the "English/Languages" category)
[Survey Results]