I hold a US passport, but is currently living in Japan. I'm flying to Beijing on April 14th, then will fly to Shanghai, Nanjing, Hong Kong, and Macau. My return flight will be on April 27th from Hong Kong to Tokyo, but there will be a 1 hour layover in Beijing.

My questions are:
How many entries tourist visa should I apply for?
Is it ok for me to apply for the tourist visa now?
Is it ok to just to have an email confirmation for the hotel reservation? Do I need to have proof of all the hotel reservations because the hotels at Nanjing and Hong Kong have not been booked yet.
Are there any other special documentations or procedures I need to do as I'm applying for the visa from Tokyo?

Thank you in advance for answering my questions