Travel from US to Yufuin

We are to visit Yufuin while teachers(Grandson) are on holiday next spring, (best time of year)? we will be flying from Orlando, Fl. USA. what will be our best route by air etc. since no Japanese spoken will ther be big problem communicaing? Do you reccomend one airline over another? Do we need a visa being U.S. citizens?

We are to visit Yufuin while teachers(Grandson) are on holiday next spring, (best time of year)? we will be flying from Orlando, Fl. USA. what will be our best route by air etc. since no Japanese spoken will there be big problem communicating?
The end of March would be good for the cherry trees and cooler weather in Kyushu. You probably want to fly into Fukuoka, Kyushu since that's the closest international airport to Yufuin. Singapore Air and American Airlines have connected flights from Orlando to Fukuoka. By "connected" I mean that you can get all the flights at once and not have to pay separately. The Tokyo-Fukuoka flight only adds an extra $60 when booked this way. Singapore Air takes you Orlando-Houston-Singapore-Fukuoka and the American takes you Orlando-NYC-Tokyo-Fukuoka. You can look for flights into any of the Big 3 in Japan (Tokyo, Nagoya Centrair, or Osaka Kansai) with a connection to Fukuoka.

In Fukuoka, you would take the subway 2 stops to Hakata (Fukuoka) Station where's there's a good tourist info center in the middle of the main walkway. They can help with train tickets to Yufuin which is near Beppu.

Do you recommend one airline over another? Do we need a visa being U.S. citizens?

I've flown AA, JAL, ANA, NW (Delta), and UA to Japan in the last few years. JAL & ANA were always at the top and UA had the tightest seats of any. It's a long flight even in 1st.