Visa Transit in Guangzhou

Assuming that you will travel from Indonesia to Japan via Guangzhou, I can confirm that you are perfectly eligible for 24 hour visa free transit in Guangzhou and you don't need any kind of visa.

You will print out your flight tickets and bring those printouts with you. Also, you will declare at check-in in Indonesia you will travel to Japan via Guangzhou using 24 hour visa free transit. After a short check of your tickets, you will be allowed to board the plane.

If you want to exit the airport, you will have to book an accommodation in advance and have a confirmation of your accommodation booking with you. Anyway, you should be aware that the issuing of a temporary entry permit always depends on discretion of immigration authorities on a day of arrival. In other words, you may be granted a permit and also denied one. You should be ready for both cases. In reality, the only way to be certain that you will be allowed to exit the airport is to obtain a Chinese transit (G) visa in advance. You will decide whether is the hassle and the cost of obtaining of this visa feasible for your 17 hour layover in Guangzhou.

So, if you want to exit the airport, you will do as I have mentioned above, have a printout of your accommodation booking and you will approach 24 hour visa free transit counter immediately after your landing from Indonesia. You will present your flight tickets and also your accommodation booking. Everything else depends on immigration authorities discretion from this point on.