Applying for a Japanese Tourist Visa outside of my home country

I'm a Malaysian student studying in Adelaide and I'm planning to go to Japan to visit a friend. How do I apply for a Japanese visa while I'm in Adelaide? Do I need to go back to my home country, Malaysia to apply for the visa or can I just apply for it in Adelaide? There are no Japanese embassies or consulates in Adelaide. The nearest one is the consulate in Melbourne. Is it possible to apply for the visa without having to go to the consulate? Must I apply in person through the consulate or can I just apply through mail? Is it possible to apply through travel agents? And what are the documents required for me to apply along with the application form?

Best advice you can get is to talk to someone in your embassy or consulate, wherever you are right now. Then, confirm with a Japanese immigration office.

Basically visa application is to be done in the country of residence, which in your case is Australia, though you can of course do it in Malaysia. Do not rely on the information given on a forum like this, call the consular section of Japanese Embassy in Melbourne as Glenski suggests. MOFA documents only give generic rules, but the exact requirements and procedures are left up to relevant consular sections.