American in Japan who wants to visit Bejing

Hello,

I'm an American on a work VISA in Japan. I want to visit Beijing for 3 days later this month. I am a bit confused (and concerned), however, about this "3. For non-Japanese passport holders, they are required to apply through a travel agency." Does this mean that I have to book my whole trip through a local travel agency just to get a tourist VISA? Japanese travel agencies are *way* too expensive. I was just going to book a flight online myself using skyscanner, and do the same for hotels. I would appreciate it if anyone could elaborate on this. Thanks.