unable to file due to time

i'm an american living and working in tokyo. i'm planning a trip to beijing for a week. i understand that i will need a visa for this trip. the only problem is that i work every day from 8 to 3 and am unable to get to the chinese embassy. i see the hours for visa process is mon to fri from 9am to 12. can i mail in my application or have someone else file the application for me?