Stealing beauty

They call it sakura, those ethereal clouds of cherry blossom that bloom across Japan in spring; capturing their beauty on camera, or simply marvelling at the delicate buds and soaking up their sheer loveliness is a national pastime. With over 200 varieties of blossom, and colours ranging from cerise to white, get the timing of your trip just right and you will be rewarded with endless displays set against perfect azure skies.

So it is with a lot of anticipation that I join Silversea’s luxurious flagship in Shanghai, where it is docked with a spectacular