Good to hear you are making an effort with Japanese. That will be especially useful if you want to get a job in IT. They usually require level 2 on the JLPT, so if you can get that before you come here, that will be a big help. You never know, you might even end up working for my company.

Teaching English varies a lot, depending on who you work for. The bottom has fallen out of the market lately, so it's not as good as it used to be, but I actually earned more teaching English than I am earning now as a translator.

The thing that Phi and Chris have been alluding to about Honbu is that while it has all the prestigious shihans and a offers a lot of classes, it is not renowned for its quality of teaching. The teaching there seems stuck in the old style of showing a technique and having the students repeat it with little explanation or assistance. The students are also encouraged not to speak, so you wouldn't get much assistance from your senpai either. A lot of the Shihans there are actually really good teachers, but they are a bit constrained when they teach at Honbu. Also, as Phi said, there is no weapons training at Honbu (or at least there didn't used to be. Is that still the case?).

Iwama is actually something that might be worth looking into. It's out in the country, so you wouldn't have the living expenses or the ridiculous commute times that you have in Tokyo, and you would get more personal attention and weapons training. It all depends on what is important to you.

P. S. Can you tell us how you got the name Senor Queso? Do you love cheese, or something? My husband is crazy about sharp cheddar, that's one main reason to head to the supermarket.