Canadian living in japan, applying for tourist visa

I'm having trouble applying for my tourist type. I'm a Canadian living in kanazawa, japan and have purchased airline tickets for china, via the web. I don't live near a consulate so need to apply via travel/tourist agency. This is difficult partly because I don't speak Japanese, but mainly because the agencies I have spoken with won't help me because I didn't purchase airline tickets with them. Since the consulates doesn't accept mail applications, in not sure what I should do. Any help is appreciated