This is called a "Donabe". If you know someone who's been cooking soup dishes like Sukiyaki and Yosenabe or rice dishes like Kamameshi and Takikomi Gohan in a stainless steel pot or worse, a non-stick pot, you need to get them one of these.
I'm actually shocked that the price is under $120 at the time of this writing for the pot that feeds 3-5 people (you can get a smaller one if you're only cooking for 1-2 people)
There are a lot of imitations out there, but this is the real deal. Much like Parmagiana Reggiano and Roquefort cheese, there is only one town in Japan that makes these: Yokkaichi, in Mei Prefecture. The reason is that the clay in that specific region contains petalite (a mineral that contains lithium) that prevents cracking even under high temperatures. They've been making pots here the exact same way since the 18th century.
You're not just limited to Japanese dishes of course. This will let you make Korean Bibimbap and Kimchi Fried Rice, Chinese Bo Zai Fan, and Haianese Chicken Rice, among many other rice dishes. You can also steam rice in it as well for rice that IMO comes out far superior that 98% of rice cookers (I'll make the Zojirushi the exception: there it's a tie). And unlike the Zojurishi it can produce crunchy, crispy, satisfying okoge (crunchy rice scraped from the bottom of the pot).
This is a must-have for anyone who cooks Japanese or Asian food. And best thing about it, chances are your culinary friend who's impossible to shop for because he or she has everything already doesn't have one of these!